Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Monday, 08 June 2026, 08:26 / Updated on Monday, 08 June 2026 08:28
Midfielder Christian Eriksen (34 years old) collapsed on the field in the 65th minute of the friendly Denmark – Ukraine (2-1). The match was not resumed and the player was taken to hospital, where he made a full recovery.
Even if his heart played tricks on him again in 2021, at the European Championship, playing since then with a defibrillator, Ukrainian teammates and opponents also fully blamed the shock on Sunday.
After Eriksen clutched his chest and collapsed to the turf, they circled around him to protect him and watched with bated breath as the medics attempted to revive and stabilize him. Some even burst into tears.
Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch in Denmark – Ukraine // Photo source: X
Peter Moller, Chairman of the Danish Federation: “No one travels home alone”
Following the strong emotions they experienced, the Danish Football Association (DBK) took special measures to help the devastated team members. DBK president Peter Moller announced that coach Brian Riemer will hold talks with each of the players.
Christian Eriksen suffered the first cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020, during the match between Denmark and Finland
He also revealed that “we have made sure that no one travels home alone. They either travel home with their parents, family or together as a group. I also know that Brian will call each player individually in the coming days and ask how they are doing and if they need anything.”
Eriksen's health problem comes five years after the Dane first suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match against Finland. The Denmark international revealed at the time that he had been dead for “five minutes” before being resuscitated and rushed to hospital, where he was stabilized.
Christian Eriksen: “In the ambulance I heard someone asking how long I was taken”
“I remember everything but those five minutes. The throw from the sideline, the ball hitting my knee and then I don't know what happened. I woke up with people around me and I felt a pressure on my chest, trying to catch my breath and I didn't really understand what was happening.
I had no idea what happened. Then it crossed my mind: “Did something happen to my legs, did I break my back?”. In the ambulance I heard someone ask how long I was taken and someone said: «Five minutes». That was the first time I heard that I had died“, Eriksen told the BBC in 2021.
