The image that assured fans Christian Eriksen will pull through

It was the sign that everyone was praying for. When Danish international footballer Christian Eriksen, 29, collapsed face first into the pitch during his team’s Euro 2020 clash against Finland in Copenhagen on Saturday, his teammates and Finnish players nearby quickly signalled to English referee Anthony Taylor that he needed urgent medical attention. As it became apparent just how serious the situation was, the 16,000-strong crowd in the stadium fell silent.

Over the next few minutes the players, the spectators, and fans watching on television desperately waited for news of Eriksen’s condition.  The match was suspended after Eriksen seemed not to respond to initial attempts to resuscitate him by medical staff. The Spurs talisman was given treatment for about 10 minutes before being carried off on a stretcher. Then a Reuters photographer reported seeing Eriksen raise his hand as he was carried away.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano also shared news that the player was responding and conscious while being stretchered off.

A little less than an hour after the incident, the football world allowed itself a sigh of relief as the much-awaited statement from the Denmark FA came, saying the footballer was stable in hospital.

“Christian Eriksen is awake and is undergoing further examinations at Rigshospitalet,” the statement said.

Eriksen, the talismanic creative midfielder for the Denmark side, has had an illustrious career spread across Ajax, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan. He finished second in the Premier League with Spurs and has played in the Champions League final.

A free-kick specialist, he is the most internationally reputed footballer from Denmark since John Dahl Tommasson.