Christian Eriksen is expected to be discharged from hospital soon after collapsing during Denmark's friendly with Ukraine on Sunday, the national team doctor has said.
Television images showed Eriksen holding his chest in the 65th minute of the fixture at Odense Stadium. The match was quickly halted and abandoned shortly afterwards. Denmark head coach Brian Riemer said Eriksen waved to his teammates as he left the pitch. "A few minutes before he fell ill, he had had a tussle with Ruslan Malinovskyi and I thought that was why he looked so distressed, but I was wrong," Riemer added.
“Christian Eriksen is in good spirits after collapsing and is expected to be discharged from hospital soon.”
Denmark's team doctor Morten Boesen, who was also involved when Eriksen collapsed five years ago, provided an update on Monday. "I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits," Boesen said. "The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home."
The 34-year-old midfielder was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) after suffering a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match against Finland in 2021. The ICD allowed him to resume his playing career with Brentford in 2022 before he spent three years at Manchester United and joined Wolfsburg last summer. On Sunday, Boesen said "the pacemaker responded as it should."
Eriksen required cardiopulmonary resuscitation at Parken Stadium following the collapse during Euro 2020. Speaking to BBC Sport before his comeback in 2022, he said he had no concerns about playing with an ICD. "I don't see any risk, no. I have an ICD, if anything would happen then I am safe," he added.
Aneil Malhotra, a professor in sports cardiology at Manchester Metropolitan University, explained to BBC Radio 5 Live that the ICD "works 24 hours a day and is constantly monitoring the heart rhythm. If the heart develops a dangerous rhythm that could lead to a sudden cardiac arrest, then the device can react."
Neither Denmark nor Ukraine qualified for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.