The Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Finland was still played on Saturday after being suspended when Danish player Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch and received emergency treatment.
He’s in the hospital, stable and awake.
Eriksen went to the ground, with no contact from any opponent, in the 43rd minute at Parken Stadium.
The teammates formed a shield around the 29-year-old Italian champion Inter Milan, everyone on the pitch and in the stadium in shock as paramedics worked on him.
Some Danish players had tears in their eyes when UEFA‘s governing body tweeted that the game had been “suspended due to a medical emergency”.
The Finnish team entered the locker room while Eriksen was carried away on a stretcher, still surrounded by his teammates, and two large sheets protecting him as well.
Danish captain Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel comforted Eriksen’s partner Sabrina on the pitch.
UEFA then said the player had been “transferred to hospital and stabilized”.
The supporters had been asked to stay in the stadium.
The Danish FA then tweeted: “Christian Eriksen is awake and his condition remains stable. He remains hospitalized at Rigshospitalet for further tests.
“The match against Finland will be played tonight. This will happen after players confirm Christian is okay. The match will resume at 8:30 p.m. (local time).
The other group match between Belgium and Russia in St. Petersburg was due to take place later.
Line-ups for the match were released just over an hour before kick-off.
Some of the match’s broadcasters, including Germany‘s ZDF and Britain’s BBC, cut themselves off from Denmark’s match after the shocking scenes. (dpa / NAN)