SECOND SCARE STRIKES

Soccer Star Collapses in Pre-World Cup Match

The midfielder has previously suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.

Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen collapsed during a match on Sunday and was taken to hospital. The 34-year-old is conscious and “doing well under the circumstances,” the Danish Football Association said in a statement on X. Videos from the scene show the player was able to walk off the field on his own. The pre-World Cup friendly between Denmark and Ukraine was halted in the 65th minute after Eriksen collapsed, and the match was subsequently abandoned. In 2021, the midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during a UEFA European Football Championship match and was fitted with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). “As I see it, the pacemaker responded as it should,” Denmark national team doctor Morten Boesen said about Sunday’s incident, adding that Eriksen will “now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the episode.” According to the BBC, Eriksen was making his 151st international appearance for Denmark when he collapsed. His previous appearance came on Wednesday, when he played 74 minutes for Denmark against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Denmark failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on Thursday.