Christian Eriksen found the net for Denmark in their opening match of the European Championship against Slovenia on Sunday, marking a significant milestone three years after his cardiac arrest during the 2021 tournament.
Eriksen, 32, struck first for the Danes in the 17th minute in Stuttgart, capitalizing on a flicked pass from Jonas Wind inside the box.
For much of the game, Eriksen's goal seemed poised to secure a victory for Denmark. However, Erik Janža's deflected shot in the 77th minute resulted in a draw for Slovenia.
"Well, it was nice [to score], it came at a good time," Eriksen remarked. "We had talked about scoring from a set-piece and we did and, unfortunately, the others did too, but we scored and got off to a good start. It was great with so many Danish fans."
In 2021, Eriksen collapsed in the 43rd minute of a match against Finland, which was goalless at the time. Finland ultimately won 1-0, with Eriksen being named man of the match despite the incident. Danish football federation director Peter Moeller stated then that Eriksen received a heart massage while being treated on the field. "He fell over and got help and heart massage on the field," Moeller informed Danish public broadcaster DR. "He was fortunately awake when he left stadium."
At the time of his cardiac arrest, Eriksen played for Inter Milan. He later joined Premier League side Brentford in 2022, before securing a three-year deal with Manchester United later that year.
Denmark's coach, Kasper Hjulmand, commended Eriksen's performance. "He [Eriksen] has something very special," Hjulmand said. "He played a fantastic game for us today and he is the rhythm of our team. We want to push him close to the goal and we see again today why, because he has some finishing and break-through skills that we need."
Hjulmand has faced criticism for relying on Eriksen, who had limited appearances for Manchester United in the past season. However, he remains confident in his decision. "I have never had my doubts with Christian as a football player, you cannot hold down that kind of class. He is a natural player who knows the rhythm of the game - we say he's the heart of our game. For me he's a great player, and he showed it today," Hjulmand asserted.
Eriksen's goal came 1,100 days after his cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 game against Finland in Copenhagen, a moment that required resuscitation on the field.
