COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark international Christian Eriksen is conscious and recovering after collapsing on the pitch during his country’s friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday.
Okay News reports that the incident occurred in the 65th minute of the match after Eriksen appeared to clutch his chest before falling to the ground. The game was subsequently abandoned as medical personnel rushed to attend to the midfielder.
In an update shared shortly after the incident, the Danish Football Federation confirmed that the 34-year-old was conscious and receiving medical care.
“Christian Eriksen is conscious and is doing well under the circumstances,” the federation said in a statement.
Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen later revealed that Eriksen had regained consciousness quickly and was able to leave the pitch on his own.
“Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch by himself,” Boesen said. “As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should. He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly and we were quickly in contact with him.”
According to Boesen, Eriksen has been taken to hospital for further examinations to determine the cause of the collapse. He added that the player remained in good spirits and asked that his teammates and supporters be informed that he was okay.
The incident has revived memories of Euro 2020, when Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s opening match against Finland in Copenhagen. The midfielder was resuscitated on the pitch before later being fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD), a device designed to monitor and correct dangerous heart rhythms.
Messages of support and prayers have continued to pour in from across the football world as fans await further updates on the Danish star’s condition.
