Christian Eriksen scored on his European Championship comeback. © ANSA / RONALD WITTEK

Eriksen creates the goosebumps moment of the European Championship

Erik Janza ruined Danish football star Christian Eriksen’s fairytale return to the European Championship stage.

June 16, 2024

From: dpa/dl

1100 days after his cardiac arrest, the midfielder had put his team in the lead in the duel with Slovenia, but after Janza's goal, the match ended 1-1 in Stuttgart on Sunday.

Eriksen scored against the initially very defensive Slovenians in the 17th minute after an impressive pass from Wolfsburg's Jonas Wind. Despite their superiority, the Danes were unable to score any more goals and decide the match early on. Instead, they had to accept the equalizer in the closing stages (77th minute). In their second match in Group C, they will face European runners-up England on Thursday, while Slovenia will play against Serbia.

"If he plays well, we play well," Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said of Eriksen's role before the match. The 32-year-old sets the rhythm and is "the heart" of the Danish attacking game. On June 12, 2021, however, the Manchester United professional's heart stopped beating for several minutes in the European Championship match against Finland. Only thanks to cardiac massage and a defibrillator was he able to be resuscitated on the pitch and later return to professional football. Without Eriksen, the Danes then stormed into the semifinals.

Christian Eriksen scored against Slovenia to give Denmark the lead. © APA/afp / THOMAS KIENZLE

On his return to the European Championship stage in the duel with the Slovenians, Eriksen took control of the game. There was hardly a move in which he was not involved. The Slovenians initially stood deep and sometimes had great problems breaking free. One of their few and most dangerous chances in the first half was missed by Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko with a long-range shot (16th minute). In return, Eriksen converted a brilliant backheel pass from Wind to make it 1-0. Slovenia's starting goalkeeper and captain Jan Oblak was powerless.

In the 65th minute, Denmark's attacking hope Rasmus Höjlund failed to beat Oblak and missed the chance to make the decision, while on the other side Morten Hjulmand deflected Janza's shot unstoppably.