Eriksen stable and expected home soon after second collapse stuns Denmark teammates

Christian Eriksen is in good spirits and expected to leave hospital soon after collapsing during Denmark’s 65th-minute-abandoned friendly against Ukraine in Odense on Sunday, the national team’s doctor confirmed.

Denmark team doctor Martin Boesen delivered the encouraging update on Monday morning. “I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well,” Boesen said. “He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and return home. We are taking good care of the players and staff and remain in regular contact with them.”

The 34-year-old Wolfsburg midfielder was conscious when he left the pitch and was able to walk into the ambulance unaided, with supporters inside the stadium applauding and chanting his name. The friendly was abandoned immediately after Eriksen received medical attention, with his Denmark teammates visibly distressed on the pitch.

It was a frightening echo of the cardiac episode Eriksen suffered during Euro 2020, when he collapsed on the pitch in Copenhagen and required resuscitation. Sunday’s incident marked the second time in five years that the former Manchester United and Tottenham midfielder had experienced a serious medical emergency during a match.

Boesen had offered an initial update pitchside after the game. “He was briefly out, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him,” the doctor said. “Now he needs to be examined further at the hospital to find out what caused the incident.”

Denmark manager Brian Riemer described the ordeal as deeply harrowing for everyone involved. “It’s a really shocking experience for everyone,” he said. “The most important thing, of course, was initially receiving a report on Christian, which was handled fantastically by Dr. Morten Boesen, who was able to report that Eriksen was fine.”

Riemer revealed that Eriksen had waved to his teammates as he was taken off the pitch, and that neither he nor his players could have continued the match after witnessing what happened. “From that moment on, neither I nor the players on the pitch could have carried on with the match,” the manager said.

Riemer also spoke of his personal bond with Eriksen. “He is a man who has meant a great deal to me. There are some players you become closer to than others, and he was one of those I became close to because of the experience he came with.”

Further medical examinations are ongoing to determine the cause of Sunday’s collapse.