It was the 42nd minute of Sunday’s Group C match between Denmark and Slovenia at this European football championship, and it was extremely good news that nothing special happened. In fact, it would not be worth mentioning – in this case, in the case of Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen, it was the other way round.
Almost exactly three years ago, on June 12, 2021, Eriksen suddenly collapsed due to cardiac arrest in the 42nd minute of Denmark’s first European Championship match against Finland. He was resuscitated on the pitch for several minutes. Teammates and fans in the stands at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium were shocked, many people cried. These were moments when Eriksen seemed closer to death than to life. The relief was correspondingly great later when the news spread that Eriksen was conscious and out of danger.
Eriksen was spared the drama of that time on his return to the European Championship stage, as were the spectators. Denmark’s 1:1 (1:0) against Slovenia, however, provided the story of Eriksen’s almost perfect European Championship comeback. The 32-year-old had scored his 42nd international goal (17th) and with his overall performance refuted all those critics who no longer believed he could lead the national team after his mediocre season at Manchester United. In any case, the Danes only managed a draw because Slovenia’s Erik Janza equalized (77th). “This time, fortunately, my story is completely different to the last European Championship,” said Eriksen after being named player of the match. “I would of course be in a much better mood if we had won.”
Eriksen proves why his coach calls him the “heart” of Denmark’s team
At first, the game seemed like proof of why Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand had actually described Eriksen as the “heart” of the team. “He is our rhythm, he is our man on the field who can dictate the game,” Hjulmand had said of Eriksen. And that was exactly how it was now. Eriksen set the pace as the central figure for the Danes, as a playmaker in the attacking midfield. He distributed balls with calm and game intelligence, he beat the set pieces, provided ideas and also participated in defensive work by winning the ball.
However, the Slovenians were dangerous early on. They had the first chance of the game when RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko narrowly missed Denmark’s goal with his right-footed shot. Shortly afterwards, Eriksen struck. After Alexander Bah’s throw-in from the right, Jonas Wind elegantly passed the ball with his right heel to Eriksen, who let the ball drop from his chest and sent it into the goal with the tip of his right foot. “Who else?” was the headline in the Danish tabloid newspaper BT Metro immediately. Shortly before half-time, he was denied his second goal because he shot too far back and over Slovenia’s goal.
The Danes fail to take advantage of their opportunities
The game remained open in the second half as the Danes failed to convert their superiority into further results despite several chances. This was one of the reasons why Slovenia came back. First, Adam Gnezda Cerin headed the ball wide of the goal, then Sesko hit the post with a powerful right-footed shot before Janza equalised with a deflected left-footed shot.
After the final whistle, Eriksen stomped across the field with little enthusiasm, his brow furrowed, his disappointment at missing out on the opening victory was evident. However, the draw did little to change his personal, pretty perfect return to the European Championship stage. He has been playing football again since 2022, now with a defibrillator that was implanted in him after his collapse. Basically, it has become routine for him to be on the pitch again, whether for the club or for the national team, with whom he also took part in the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022. But only now, with his European Championship comeback, has the trauma of 2021 been completely put to rest.