Eriksen collapses on pitch again, Denmark-Ukraine match permanently halted

Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch in the 65th minute of the friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine on Sunday, forcing the permanent halt of the encounter. The 34-year-old midfielder, who plays for VfL Wolfsburg, clutched his chest before falling to the ground.

Surrounded by his teammates and Ukrainian players, Eriksen was quickly attended to by the medical staff and then evacuated on a stretcher. The referees immediately ended the match, which was serving as preparation for the 2026 World Cup.

Shortly after the incident, the Danish Football Association released a statement with relatively reassuring news: Eriksen “is conscious and, in these circumstances, doing relatively well”.

This medical emergency inevitably recalls the tragedy that occurred at Euro 2021, when Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a match against Finland in Copenhagen. Resuscitated on the pitch, he subsequently had to have an automatic defibrillator implanted to hope to resume competition — which he managed to do, gradually returning to the pitch before joining Manchester United and then Wolfsburg.

The exact circumstances of this new medical emergency and any possible link to his cardiac history have not yet been clarified by medical authorities or the federation.