Denmark's Christian Eriksen released from hospital after successful operation

Posted Saturday, June 19, 2021 by ESPN

Denmark's Christian Eriksen has been released from hospital after undergoing a successful operation, the Danish Football Association confirmed in a statement on Friday.

Eriksen was admitted to hospital after he collapsed due to cardiac arrest in the 43rd minute of Denmark's opening Euro 2020 game against Finland on June 12.

He was administered CPR and a defibrillator was used on him on the pitch before he was taken to hospital.

The FA announced on Thursday that he would receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small electronic device that is a type of pacemaker and can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.

"Christian Eriksen has been through a successful operation and was today discharged from Rigshospitalet," the FA said in a statement on Twitter.

"Today he also visited the national team in Helsingor -- and from there he will go home and spend time with his family."

The incident reverberated through football, with many players sending well-wishes to Eriksen and his teammates.

The game between Belgium and Denmark on Thursday was stopped in the 10th minute as a tribute to Eriksen.

A banner was also displayed among fans in one of the stands, which read: "All of Denmark is with you, Christian."

Before kickoff, a large flag in the shape of a Denmark shirt with Eriksen's name on the back was unfurled on the pitch. Eriksen wears the No. 10 shirt for his country.

"Thank you for the massive number of greetings -- it has been incredible to see and feel," Eriksen said in a statement following his release from hospital.

"The operation went well, and I am doing well under the circumstances. It was really great to see the guys again after the fantastic game they played last night. No need to say, that I will be cheering them on Monday against Russia."

Denmark have lost both of their Euro 2020 games, with the side critical of UEFA for not giving them more options in the aftermath of Eriksen's collapse.

Players returned to the pitch mere hours after his cardiac arrest to play the remaining half.

"We were put in a position which I personally don't think we should have been put in," Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told reporters on Monday.

"It probably required that someone above us had said that it was not the time to make a decision and maybe should wait for the next day."