It was a goosebump moment: 290 days after his collapse in the EURO group match against Finland (0:1), Denmark’s football star Christian Eriksen returned yesterday to the lawn of Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium, where 40,000 spectators fought for the life of the man on June 12 had feared after a cardiac arrest resuscitated midfielder.
The 30-year-old, who captained his team in the international test match against Serbia (final score 3-0), appeared deeply moved – accompanied by standing ovations, banners (“Welcome home, Christian”) and chants.
“It was an emotional evening. One of those moments you can’t prepare for,” said Brentford Legionnaire Eriksen, who plays with a defibrillator. “I’m fine, I’m healthy. I want to finish this chapter of my career and get back to football.” That works brilliantly. Eriksen suddenly becomes a real goalscorer. Insiders say he is fitter than before the tragic incident – slimmer and more agile.
The crowd’s favourite, who had already shone with a goal and a pole shot in the 4-2 draw against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Saturday, also made his mark in the “Parken” list. Almost cheesy, but beautiful.
Eriksen took a powerful shot from a half-left position and the ball landed half-up in the left corner. It was 3:0 (57th) – after that there was no stopping. “Danish Dynamite” had also set the tone beforehand, the EURO semi-finalists deservedly took the lead with goals from Joakim Maehle (15th) and Jesper Lindström (53rd).
Vice-world champions Croatia beat Bulgaria 2-1 after being 1-0 down at times. Captain Luka Modric had turned the tide with a penalty converted in the 76th minute. Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea FC), who was born in Linz, and ex-LASK striker Ante Budimir (Osasuna) came on as a substitute for the Croatians.
Source: Nachrichten
