Christian Eriksen collapsed during the friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine on Sunday and was taken to hospital, manager Brian Riemer has commented on the incident.
Christian Eriksen collapsed during the match between Denmark and Ukraine (Image: Getty Images)
Denmark coach Brian Riemer believes it was inappropriate for Christian Eriksen to continue playing after he collapsed. During an international friendly match between Denmark and Ukraine, the midfielder collapsed on the pitch again.
He regained consciousness but was taken to hospital for further tests. “Christian Eriksen is conscious and doing well under the circumstances. The match has been cancelled,” the statement read.
Danish team doctor Morten Bosen said: “Christian is in good health and left the field of his own accord. From what I saw, his pacemaker was working properly. He briefly lost consciousness, but quickly regained consciousness and we contacted him immediately.”
“He will now undergo further tests at the hospital to determine the cause of the incident. We are in constant contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is fine. He asked me to greet all the players and tell them he is okay.”
Reimer gave his opinion on the matter and believes he made the right decision to forfeit the fight. “Christian Eriksen waved to his team-mates as he left the pitch. A few minutes before he fell ill, he had had an argument with Ruslan Malinovsky and I thought that was why he looked so distressed, but I was wrong. From that moment on, neither I nor the players on the pitch could continue.”
Riemer added, “I’m looking forward to meeting him. I’m going to go see him as soon as I get a chance. I feel like I need to meet him and talk to him. He means a lot to me.”
“There are players that I get closer to than others, but he was one of the players that I became close to because of the experience we had together. And since then we have also worked together in the national team, so he is someone that I have a close relationship with and know very well. So naturally it is very close to my heart.”
Brian Riemer gave his thoughts on the incident (Image: Getty Images)
Eriksen’s Danish teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also spoke out, suggesting the incident brought back memories of a similar incident at Euro 2020 when Eriksen suffered a heart attack.
“The most important thing is that Christian is safe and that his family is safe. We went to the dressing room and we talked a little bit there. Now we try to pick ourselves up and get a chance to talk to each other. Some people have questions, some people need to talk to their families, some people need to sit and listen a little bit. That’s totally fine. It feels weird to have memories come back.”
“The most important thing is that the response was appropriate, that the medical staff had everything under control, and that the players showed respect and the fans showed a lot of respect. It ended as well as it could, given what happened. We are all deeply grateful for that. That’s the most important thing.”
“It was a shock. The most important thing is that Christian is doing well,” Hojbjerg added. “I think I need to see my kids and my family. They’re the ones I want to see.”
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