The match was abandoned after the incident saw Eriksen need immediate medical care
Former Manchester United footballer Christian Eriksen has collapsed during Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine, leading officials to abandon the match.
During a match in Odense, Denmark’s third-largest city, Eriksen, who made 310 Premier League appearances, collapsed on the pitch in an incident similar to one that occurred during a Euro 2021 fixture against Finland.
The Danish Football Federation later confirmed on X that the midfielder was “conscious and feeling well under the circumstances ”, adding that the match had been abandoned.
Eriksen, the former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker, had previously suffered a cardiac arrest during the Euro 2021 game when he was resuscitated on the pitch. He subsequently received an implantable cardioverter‑defibrillator to regulate his heart rhythm.
Neither Denmark nor Ukraine have qualified for this year’s World Cup. The game was brought to a close after just 65 minutes of play. Denmark were leading the match 2-1 after taking the lead through Patrick Dorgu and Joakim Maehle, before Viktor Tsygankov narrowed the deficit.
On Danish television, former Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner said it was “Absolutely right to cancel the match and not play on.”
The national team doctor, Morten Boesen offered a positive update, saying: “Christian is doing well and walked off the pitch himself. As I see it, the pacemaker gave a shock, as it is supposed to,” he said.
“He was briefly out, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him. Now he needs to be examined further at the hospital to find out what caused the incident. “We are continuously in contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to say hello to all the players and say that he was okay.”
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