Last June’s Euro 2020 competition saw a potential tragedy, with Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsing on the pitch during his team’s opening match and later being diagnosed as having undergone cardiac arrest. Well, Eriksen returned to Premier League play for Brentford last month, and he made his return to match action for Denmark’s national team Saturday in a friendly against the Netherlands. And Eriksen made his presence quickly felt, scoring on his first touch:
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN SCORES TWO MINUTES INTO HIS RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL!!! pic.twitter.com/BztWOVLGqM
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 26, 2022
As you’d expect, that sparked a lot of reactions:
287 days after that terrible moment at the Euros, Christian Eriksen scores for Denmark. What a fairytale. ❤️🇩🇰 #Eriksen
We love to see that, @ChrisEriksen8! pic.twitter.com/StInKtZygJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 26, 2022
Wonderful to see @ChrisEriksen8 score for Denmark 287 days after we all feared the worst. Marvellous. 🙌🏻
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 26, 2022
Are you frikin kidding me.. Goosebumps. https://t.co/Bmtl5yfxQj
— Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) March 26, 2022
What a moment for @ChrisEriksen8!
Two minutes and one touch was all he needed to announce his return to the world stage.
Great to see! pic.twitter.com/slUxGxAgTc
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) March 26, 2022
Christian Eriksen scores only 2️⃣ minutes after returning to the pitch for Denmark 9 months after suffering cardiac arrest 🇩🇰👏 pic.twitter.com/OYJ4VX5Ikr
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 26, 2022
Christan Eriksen SCORES A BEAUTIFUL GOAL STRAIGHT AWAY!
You gotta respect that, wow. pic.twitter.com/1wi4DIcLB8
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) March 26, 2022
Last time Eriksen was in a Denmark shirt he was fighting for his life and now he's back scoring goals and enjoying his football again. You love to see it 🙏
— Trey (@UTDTrey) March 26, 2022
It’s great to see Eriksen back in international football. And this certainly was a quick and impressive impact from him, coming just a couple of minutes after he entered the match.
It’s notable as well that it was never assured that Eriksen would get back to this point. In fact, last year saw a ruling from the Italian Football Federation that Eriksen couldn’t return to Serie A thanks to having an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted after his cardiac arrest. But Eriksen has been able to get back to a high level of play, signing with Brentford and competing for them in the Premier League, and now returning to the Danish national team. And it’s terrific to see him already returning to goal-scoring form.
[The Daily Mirror/ESPN FC on Twitter]
