Eriksen sends ‘greetings’ to teammates after collapse
Denmark player is currently stable and recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after falling faceforward in a Euro game against Finland
COPENHAGEN: Christian Eriksen remained in stable condition in a Copenhagen hospital Sunday and “sent his greetings to his teammates” as he recovers from his collapse during a European Championship game, the Danish soccer federation said.
The rest of the Danish team was being given crisis management assistance as they process the incident that happened during Saturday’s game against Finland in Copenhagen. Eriksen fell face-forward to the ground late in the first half and needed CPR from medical staff before regaining consciousness.
“This morning we have spoken to Christian Eriksen, who has sent his greetings to his teammates,” the Danish federation wrote on Twitter. “His condition is stable, and he continues to be hospitalized for further examination. The team and staff of the national team has received crisis assistance and will continue to be there for each other after yesterday’s incident.” The Euro 2020 game was suspended for about 90 minutes after Eriksen’s collapse. It eventually resumed and Finland won 1-0.
The Danish team canceled all planned media activities at its base camp on Sunday and also postponed a training session.
The 29-year-old Eriksen was being treated at Rigshospitalet, one of Denmark’s top hospitals which is less than a mile away from Parken Stadium, where the game was played.
The Danish federation, known as the DBU, also thanked fans and other teams for their outpouring of support for the Inter Milan midfielder who earned a reputation as one of the world’s top playmakers during his seven years in the Premier League at Tottenham.
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said after Saturday’s game that the Danish players would be offered any assistance needed as they try to focus on the rest of the tournament.
“We will spend the next few days processing this as best we can,” Hjulmand said. “And of course we are surrounded by professional people . ... It’s not normal to play such a game and then see one of your friends suffer with a heart issue.” The incident cast an immediate pall on what had been a party-like atmosphere in Copenhagen as Denmark hosted a major tournament game for the first time. The players had been talking about the possibility of repeating the country’s upset win at the 1992 European Championship, with Eriksen the centerpiece of the team in his attacking midfield role.
Now the team will have to focus on just getting through the next game against topranked Belgium on Thursday in Group B. And Hjulmand praised his players for not being afraid to show their emotions both on the field and in the dressing room. “It’s a traumatic experience,” Hjulmand said. “The attitude (when play resumed) was let’s go out and try to do what we can. And then we talked about allowing (yourself) to have all these feelings. And it was OK to say no if they weren’t able to play. Some of them said that they wanted to try. And I said no matter what feelings they had, it was all OK. You had to allow yourself to try to play the game if you felt like it. And you had to dare to show happy emotions. But it was OK to say no. Because some of them they weren’t able to, they weren’t able to play.” Hjulmand said he had experienced a similar situation during his career as a club coach “where we almost lost someone on the field.” “And now I can see how everyone is reaching out to their families right now and tries FaceTiming them,” Hjulmand said during his post-game news conference. “So that’s what a situation like this does. It’s a tough night.”
Meanwhile, Fabrice Muamba has spoken about how watching Eriksen receive life-saving treatment at Euro 2020 brought back emotional memories of his own cardiac arrest as a doctor warned the Dane was unlikely to play again.
Muamba, the former Bolton midfielder who collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest during a televised FA Cup game in 2012, tweeted “Please God” following the incident. “To watch it from that distance and not knowing the expectation of what was going to happen -- it’s scary,” he told the BBC. “It’s credit to the medical staff that they’ve come in and they did an amazing job on Christian.”
Muamba said he was impressed by how Eriksen’s teammates had surrounded him to “protect the whole situation”.
“It just brought back emotion that you’ve literally put down there for a long time that you don’t want to re-live,” he said.
“To see it on the other side, when it happened I asked my missus ‘how did you even cope knowing this has happened to me’? I’m hoping that things turn out to be OK for him. I really, really, really hope he comes through.”
Son sends support
GOYANG: Son Heung-min scored the decisive goal in South Korea’s 2-1 victory over Lebanon in a World Cup qualifier Sunday before sending a message of support to his former teammate Christian Eriksen.
After converting a penalty to help his side come from behind to take the lead at Goyang Stadium, the South Korea skipper held up his hands to show the number 23 - Eriksen’s shirt number at Tottenham Hotspur.
He then offered a few words in the direction of a nearby TV camera before kissing it.
Eriksen collapsed while playing in Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland on Saturday and required CPR before he was taken to hospital, where his condition has reportedly stabilised. The pair were teammates at the English Premier League club for four-and-a-half seasons before Eriksen joined Inter Milan in 2020.
Son played a key role Sunday in the South Korean comeback win which sealed their place at the top of Group H, sending them through to the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup finals in China.
While the hosts dominated possession, it was Lebanon who took a surprise lead in the 13th minute when Soony Saad’s excellent shot on the turn went in off the far post. The Lebanese defence held out until half-time but the home side’s pressure finally told in the 51st minute when Son’s corner from the right was headed in by Song Min-kyu off a deflection by Maher Sabra.
The home side were then awarded a penalty in the 71st minute after defender Joan Oumari handled the ball in his box. Son beat goalkeeper Mehdi Khalil with a firmly struck shot into the bottom right corner before showing his support for Eriksen. Lebanon finished second in Group H and could still qualify for the next round of the World Cup qualifiers if results on Tuesday in the other groups go their way.