Euro 2020: Doctor recalls nervous 10 minutes after Eriksen fell unconscious against Finland

The football fans across the globe witnessed nerve-wracking scenes as Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the ground in the 43rd minute of the match against Finland. Several medics worked frenetically to give Erisksen chest compressions while his teammates formed a ring around the midfielder to shield the scenes from public view. Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen revealed that the situation was critical as Eriksen's pulse was slipping away quickly.

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“He was breathing, and I could feel his pulse. But suddenly that changed,” Boesen said on Saturday. “And as everyone saw, we started giving him CPR.”

However, the efforts paid off as Eriksen regained consciousness before being taken to the hospital.

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“We managed to get Christian back,” Boesen said. “And he spoke to me before he was taken to the hospital.”

The game was suspended for about 90 minutes before the teams took a tough decision to play on. Joel Pohjanpalo hit the net in the 60th minute to give Finland a 1-0 win. Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand hailed his team's brave decision to continue with the game.

“Of course you can’t play a game with such feelings,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said. “What we tried to do was incredible. It’s incredible that the players managed to go out and try to play the second half.”

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UEFA said that the teams held an emergency meeting before deciding to play. Hjulmand revealed the teams were given an option of finishing the game on Saturday or resuming on Sunday.

“The players couldn’t imagine not being able to sleep tonight and then having to get in tomorrow, get on the bus and play a game,” Hjulmand said. “Honestly, it was best to get it over with.”

Eriksen played a short pass and suddenly fell face forward onto the ground. As the doctors checked upon the midfielder, Eriksen's partner Sabrina Kvist Jensen went onto the park and was comforted by Denmark captain Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper. Eriksen is one of Denmark's biggest stars and the incident left the 15000 fans in the stadium stunned. Some fans were even seen crying and hugging in the stands.

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