Christian Eriksen was conscious and undergoing further tests in hospital after collapsing again for Denmark during a friendly against Ukraine in Odense. Denmark’s federation said he was “under the circumstances, doing well,” and the match was abandoned by the
ODENSE. Denmark — Christian Eriksen was clutching his chest with both hands in the 65th minute. an off-the-ball moment that turned into a medical emergency. TV images from Denmark’s international friendly against Ukraine at Nature Energy Park showed the 34-year-old midfielder collapsing and players gathering around him as Ukraine’s coaching staff waved medical personnel onto the field.
The match was later abandoned.
Minutes after the incident. Denmark’s soccer federation posted on X that Eriksen was “conscious and. under the circumstances. doing well.” Ten minutes later. the federation delivered a fuller update through Denmark team physician Morten Boesen. who said: “Christian is doing well and left the field himself. As I see it, the pacemaker is beating as it should.”.
Boesen also described how quickly Eriksen had come back: after saying the midfielder had been briefly unconscious. the physician added that he “very quickly regained consciousness. and we were quickly in contact with him.” He said Eriksen now needed to be examined further in the hospital to determine what caused the incident.
“We are in constant contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to greet all the players and say that he was OK,” Boesen said.
The referee officially called off the match in the 79th minute. Denmark were leading 2-1 at the time, after the official spoke to both coaches and the teams.
In the stadium, the mood shifted quickly. There was an initial hush in the crowd before a chant of “Eriksen, Eriksen” spread around the ground. After the match was abandoned. players from both teams formed a circle around the two coaches in one half of the field. and the coaches were seen talking to the players. The teams then walked around the pitch to applause, with some players visibly upset.
For Eriksen, the moment carried painful echoes of his earlier collapse. During Denmark’s opening European Championship group game in 2021. against Finland in Copenhagen. he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. He received lengthy medical treatment before regaining consciousness and later said he was informed he was “gone from this world for five minutes.”.
Eriksen returned to professional football 259 days later after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. He played for Brentford and Manchester United before joining German club Wolfsburg in 2025. His contract at Wolfsburg runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Denmark and Ukraine have not qualified for the World Cup.
As Denmark awaits the next medical findings, the immediate message from the federation and its physician was clear: Eriksen was conscious, left the field under his own power, and was being examined further in hospital.
Christian Eriksen Denmark Ukraine friendly match abandoned Odense Morten Boesen pacemaker Wolfsburg
Thank God he’s conscious. Those cardiology things are no joke.
Wait so they stopped it because he collapsed again? I’m confused, like didn’t he already have a heart thing before? Glad he’s doing well though.
Pacemaker beating as it should… so was it like a malfunction or did the doctors just assume? Also Denmark leading 2-1 and then they abandon the match, that’s wild, but it makes sense I guess.
Friendly against Ukraine and he’s clutching his chest like that… idk man, sounds like stress or something? Everybody’s gonna say it’s medical but I swear half these injuries are from people pushing athletes too hard. Glad he left the field himself though, that part matters.