Eriksen had lost consciousness for quite a while, as the players and fans waited nervously for an update which UEFA gave a few moments later.
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The Group B match between Finland and Denmark in the Euro 2020 was called off due to a medical emergency. Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed to the ground without any contact in the second half while he was attempting to receive a throw-in. The Danish players had surrounded Eriksen after he fell and remained unconscious. The referee and the players on the pitch hastily called for medical support, and the Inter Milan player had to given immediate treatment on the pitch. A stunned silence engulfed the stadium in Copenhagen as medical personnel treated Eriksen for over 10 minutes. The Danish players looked shell-shocked, some had tears running down their faces, while others could not bear to look at the scene.
There was quite a long wait before UEFA sent a tweet informing that the match had been called off. The fans had remained in the stadium even after the announcement, hoping for Eriksen’s quick recovery. The cause of the collapse is being speculated to be cardiac arrest. Eriksen was being treated on the field with CPR and defibrillation to resuscitate him at the time.
The Danish players had later formed a circle around the 29-year-old in an attempt to block television cameras and media photographers to get a shot of the player receiving treatment. They all then held up a white cloth over their heads. This shielded Erikson from any overhead cameras from getting a shot as he was being stretchered out of the pitch.
The latest reports suggest that the CPR was successful and the Inter Milan player is responsive. Eriksen had lost consciousness for quite a while, as the players and fans waited nervously for an update. UEFA has also announced that the player was taken to the hospital and has been stabilized on Twitter.
“Following the medical emergency involving Denmark’s player Christian Eriksen, a crisis meeting has taken place with both teams and match officials and further information will be communicated at 19:45 CET. The player has been transferred to the hospital and has been stabilized,” the European footballing body said.
The European footballing body has further informed on Twitter that the remainder of the match will be played from 20:30 hours Central European Time (CET).
“Following the request made by players of both teams, UEFA has agreed to restart the match between Denmark and Finland tonight at 20:30 CET (TBC). The last four minutes of the first half will be played, there will then be a 5-minute half-time break followed by the second half,” the tweet read.
The match between Denmark and Finland was still a goalless affair. The two sides were locked at 0-0 until the incident. Denmark was, predictably, the better side, but Finland held their defensive shape. They had 64% of the possession and had 12 shots on goals, four of them were on target. The Finnish are yet to register their first goal.
The other group B match is scheduled to begin later tonight. It will be played between Belgium and Russia at St Petersburg in Russia.
