Euro 2020 stunned after Eriksen collapse

  • Denmark's team doctor Martin Boesen described how his team saved Eriksen's life.
13 Jun, 2021

PARIS: Euro 2020 was still reeling Sunday after Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed and had to be revived by medics on the pitch during his country's defeat to Finland.

Eriksen was "awake and undergoing further tests" after he received CPR as his distraught teammates formed a circle around him to shield the stricken player from the view of 16,000 stunned spectators in Copenhagen's Parken Stadium on Saturday.

The Group B game -- just the third of the month-long tournament which kicked off a year behind schedule on Friday -- was halted just before half-time with the score goalless and suspended for nearly two hours before restarting.

The Finns won 1-0 thanks to a Joel Pohjanpalo header in their first ever appearance in the European Championship but Eriksen's plight overshadowed the match.

"We've been in contact with him, and the players have spoken to Christian. That's the great news. He's doing fine, and they are playing the game for him," DBU director Peter Moeller told Danish media.

Denmark's team doctor Martin Boesen described how his team saved Eriksen's life.

"When I get to him, he's on his side. He is breathing and I can see pulse but suddenly that changes, and as everyone saw we started giving him CPR," he told a press conference.

"The help came really, really fast from the medical team and the rest of the staff, and with their cooperation we did what we had to do. We managed to get Christan back."

Messages of support poured in for Eriksen and Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, his teammate at Inter Milan, shouted "Chris, Chris, stay strong -- I love you" into a pitchside camera during the celebration for his opening goal in the 3-0 defeat of Russia in Saint Petersburg.

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