Christian Eriksen scores three years after cardiac arrest at Euros as Slovenia hold Denmark to draw
Christian Eriksen scored in his first European Championship match since suffering a heart attack on the pitch at the last tournament - Getty Images/Clive Mason
Life has moved on for Christian Eriksen since the day he died for five minutes on a football pitch. It is, he said reasonably this week, not something he cares to “overthink”.
There are inescapable milestones in every footballer’s story, though, and especially in a story as unique as his. This was unquestionably one of those occasions for Eriksen and his family, as the Denmark midfielder marked his return to the European Championship stage with a gorgeous goal against Slovenia.
A life-affirming afternoon? That would be going too far. Eriksen has never discussed his return in such dramatic terms, and after this result he was more focused on the two dropped points than on his own personal achievement.
“Obviously it would have been a different story if we had won,” he said. “It is a wake-up call for us ahead of the next game [against England].”
Still, it certainly felt like a profound moment in Stuttgart – for Eriksen and also for those of his team-mates who experienced their own horror at the last European Championship – when the Manchester United playmaker steered Denmark into the lead after 17 minutes. “My story is very different compared to last time, which is a big thing for me personally,” he said.
Eriksen’s last appearance in Europe’s premier international competition was three years ago, against Finland in Copenhagen. It ended with him leaving the field on a stretcher, his life changed forever following his cardiac arrest. To score here, on his first Euros game since, felt almost Hollywood.
Except, if this was Hollywood, it would have been the winning goal. Instead, footballing reality hit Denmark in the gut. Slovenia proved to be strange but complicated opponents, and by the end they might have felt like they should have won it. Erik Janza struck their equaliser, and they could well have scored more.
The draw suits England, of course, although this was a game that also served as a warning to Gareth Southgate’s team. Both sides showed they will cause problems for the English defence. Denmark with their more sophisticated passing game, led by the scheming Eriksen, and Slovenia with their two powerful strikers in attack.
One of those forwards, Benjamin Sesko, demonstrated why Arsenal were hoping to spend more than £50 million on his services this summer, before he committed his future to German side RB Leipzig. In both halves, he went close to scoring early contenders for goal of the tournament.
There is a lesson there: if England allow Sesko to receive the ball within range of their goal, they will find themselves in serious trouble. The 21-year-old does not so much shoot the ball as bludgeon it. His first effort whizzed a few inches wide, while his second thudded the woodwork with such force that Uefa’s officials will be checking the post for dents.
At the final whistle, it was Slovenia’s supporters who stayed and celebrated. Matjaz Kek’s side are playing in their first major tournament since the 2010 World Cup, and their first European Championship since 2000. They will be proud of how they turned this game around after a difficult start. “We maybe showed a bit too much respect in the first half,” said Kek. “But we have a very good generation.”
For the first 45 minutes, it had been an Eriksen masterclass. His goal was a superb controlled effort, from Jonas Wind’s flick, and his slick movement caused no end of issues for Slovenia’s rigid 4-4-2 formation. In the first half alone, Denmark had eight shots. Eriksen was involved in seven of those.
By the final whistle, he had been involved in 12 shots (five of his own and seven chances created), the most by any midfielder at a European Championship game since 2012.
Eriksen’s individual performance will prompt a few questions of United, of course. For his club, the 32-year-old often plays in a deeper role. Here, he was a floating No 10 who moved where the match allowed. Could he not do something similar for United, as he did for Tottenham Hotspur for so many years? Could they not use him like this?
“I have never had my doubts with Christian,” said Kasper Hjulmand, the Denmark manager. “You cannot hold down that kind of class. I know the critics have said that he has not played that much at United but for me he is a great player and he showed it today.”
For now, the more pressing concern for Eriksen and Denmark is how they lost control of this game. After 65 minutes, they could have been two or three goals clear, and they should have scored when Rasmus Hojlund broke free on a counter-attack. Jan Oblak’s excellent save kept Slovenia in the match and, before long, they were level.
In the space of a wild few minutes, Adam Gnezda Cerin and Andraz Sporar went close, Sesko smashed the post and then Janza’s long-range effort deflected into the net off Morten Hjulmand’s hip. A deserved point for Slovenia, who stole much of Eriksen’s thunder and proved they will not be the whipping boys that many were expecting.
Slovenia draw with Denmark: As it happened
07:39 PM BST
The player of match is Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen scored Denmark's goal. - Chris Ricco/Uefa
07:34 PM BST
Our man in Stuttgart reflects on the game
07:24 PM BST
Sliding doors
Denmark had one big chance to put the game to bed when Jan Oblak made a brave save to deny Rasmus Hojlund.
Hojlund ended up in the net; the ball did not.
Rasmus Hojlund is denied by Jan Oblak. - Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
07:11 PM BST
Class is permanent
This is a nice angle of Christian Eriksen’s goal in the first half. If he waits a millisecond longer to take the shot he probably doesn’t score.
07:09 PM BST
Watch: Sesko batters the post before Janza’s equaliser
07:04 PM BST
Denmark’s chief creator
07:00 PM BST
Follow Serbia v England live!
The team news is in for England’s opening game of Euro 2024. Trent Alexander-Arnold starts in midfield, Marc Guehi replaces Harry Maguire in defence.
Get the latest news with the brilliant Rob Bagchi.
England captain Harry Kane walks round the pitch in Gelsenkirchen. - Andreea Alexandru/AP
06:53 PM BST
FT: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Honours even in Stuttgart, though you wouldn’t know it from the body language of the players. Slovenia are full of the joys after an excellent second-half comeback; Denmark are wondering what the hell happened to the control they had for the first hour of the game.
Christian Eriksen, playing in the European Championship for the first time since his cardiac arrest in 2021, gave Denmark the lead with a charming goal, but they were too passive in the second half and paid the price when Erik Janza’s deflected shot flew past Kasper Schmeichel. They can have no complaints about the result.
Denmark's Jannik Vestergaard shows his disappointment at the final whistle. - Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
06:48 PM BST
90 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Karnicic shoots over from distance. It’s Slovenia who look most likely to grab a winner; they have four minutes of added time in which to do so.
06:47 PM BST
89 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Denmark substitution Thomas Delaney replaces Morten Hjulmand. Denmark haven’t looked like scoring since that Slovenia equaliser, or before it in fact. Their second-half performance will frustrate the hell out of them.
06:44 PM BST
87 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Denmark were coasting in this second half but Slovenia have moved up a gear and the Danes have been unable to match them. The pressure was not building for long but it was intense, and suddenly Slovenia are the dominant side.
If you add up their chances over the 10 minutes before the goal, they could have scored three or four. It’s an incredible turnaround from a team that looked to have run out of ideas midway through this second half.
06:44 PM BST
86 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Celar is booked, then Hjulmand shoots straight at Oblak from 20 yards.
06:41 PM BST
84 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Triple change for Denmark Christian Norgaarsd, Yussuf Poulsen and Kasper Dolberg replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rasmus Hojlund and Jonas Wind.
06:40 PM BST
82 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Sporar gets away from Vestergaard on the right of the area and smashes a rising drive that is fingertipped into the side netting by Schmeichel. I don’t think it was going in anyway. Sporar is admirably game, though, and hasn’t let the missed chances affect him.
Andraz Sporar hits the side netting. - Chris Ricco/Uefa
06:38 PM BST
80 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Eriksen’s deep corner is headed towards goal by Vestergaard and held comfortably by Oblak.
06:38 PM BST
79 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
Denmark substitution Joakim Maehle comes on for Victor Kristiansen. Denmark have really lost their way in the second half; sometimes the box seat can be a bit too comfortable.
Slovenia celebrate Erik Janza's equaliser. - FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP
06:37 PM BST
78 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1
It’s all Slovenia now. Janza - who has a lovely left foot - drills a low cross that ricochets to Sporar. His snap volley goes over the bar.
06:34 PM BST
Goal!
77 min: Slovenia 1 Denmark 1 (Janza) Slovenia are level! Moments after Sisko smashed the post, a corner was headed away to Janza, who whistled a half-volley towards goal from 25 yards. It took a big deflection off the rump of Hjulmand and wrongfooted Kasper Schmeichel.
06:34 PM BST
76 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Sisko hits the post with a mighty effort! A headed clearance from Vestergaard is collected by Sesko, 25 yards out. He controls it on the run and belabours a spectacular half volley that almost destroys the post!
Benjamin Sesko hits the post with a scorching half-volley. - Lee Smith/Reuters
06:33 PM BST
74 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Double substitution for Slovenia Zan Celar and Jon Gorenc Stankovic replace Jan Mlakar and Timi Elsnik.
06:32 PM BST
74 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Great chance for Sporar! A wonderful free-kick from Janza on the left is volleyed wide by Sporar, barely six yards out. He probably saw it late but that was still a glorious opportunity.
06:31 PM BST
Watch: Oblak denies Hojlund
06:29 PM BST
72 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Hojlund runs Drkusic to win a corner; those two have had a good battle all afternoon. Eriksen’s inswinger is headed wide by Wind, who saw the ball very late at the far post. In fact the ball hit him rather than the other way round.
06:26 PM BST
68 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Slovenia substitution Benjamin Verbic replaces Petar Stojanovic.
06:25 PM BST
67 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Chance for Slovenia! Adam Gnezda Cerin makes a textbook late run to meet a floated cross from the left, only to guide his header wide of the far post. Schmeichel wouldn’t have saved it. That’s easily Slovenia’s best chance of the match.
06:24 PM BST
65 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Fine save by Oblak! That’s much better from Denmark. The left wing-back Kristiansen slides a perfect low cross into the six-yard box; Hojlund gets to it first, just ahead of Bijol, and Oblak dives at his feet to smother the shot.
Rasmus Hojlund is denied by Jan Oblak. - Ariel Schalit/AP
06:20 PM BST
64 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Slovenia’s best moments have come from set-pieces today and, although they have had a few half-chances, it increasingly feels like they are going to need to produce more in open play if they are to come back into this game.
It’s all too stodgy at the moment, with no real passing patterns or even much of a counter-attack. Sesko is growing visibly frustrated by the lack of service on a difficult day for him and Sporar, his striking partner.
06:20 PM BST
62 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
The last 10 minutes or so have been very scrappy. Denmark would take this result, clearly, but Kasper Hjulmand might be a bit disappointed with their attacking performance. After a promising start, the wing-backs have been a disappointment. Just as I type that, Kristiansen finds space on the left and then overhits his cross.
06:16 PM BST
59 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
A quiet spell. Denmark look very comfortable in open play, less so from long throws.
06:12 PM BST
55 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Eriksen, just inside the Slovenia half, hits a wicked free-kick that brushes the head of a Denmark player, then hits a Slovenia defender and bounces a couple of yards wide of the left-hand post. Oblak didn’t move.
06:11 PM BST
53 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Now Stojanovic is booked for an ankle tap on Hojbjerg. Bit harsh.
There was a VAR check for a Slovenia penalty after that second long throw a moment ago. Not sure what they were looking for but it was soon checkcompleted, as Howard Webb loves to say.
Petar Stojanovic can't believe he's been shown a yellow card. - THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP
06:10 PM BST
51 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Chances for Slovenia A Delap-sized throw from the left is missed by Sporar, who got away from Vestergaard on the six-yard line and probably would have scored had he connected cleanly. He tried to flick the ball on the half-volley and made no contact.
Moments later another long throw leads to a second opportunity. Schmeichel punches unconvincingly, Stojanovic heads across goal and Bijol just can’t reach the bouncing ball in front of goal.
Andraz Sporar shows his frustration after missing a chance. - Anadolu/Anadolu
06:07 PM BST
50 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Hjulmand is booked for pulling back Sesko. That’s fair enough in isolation, but absurd when compared to the foul by Bijol on Wind in the 16th minute.
06:06 PM BST
Between the lines with Christian Eriksen
06:04 PM BST
46 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Denmark begin the second half; no changes on either side.
05:54 PM BST
England’s attacking players will be licking their lips
Denmark deserve their lead and should really have doubled it before the break. They are playing a more sophisticated brand of football than Slovenia, who are still living in a 4-4-2 world and are struggling to fill the gaps between those lines. England’s attacking players will be licking their lips.
That said, the Slovenians do carry a threat. Sesko is running in behind at every opportunity and is just waiting for the right service. He seems capable of producing something out of nothing, as he showed with that ripper of a strike from range. No backlift, no run-up, full power.
05:49 PM BST
HT: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
A feelgood goal from Christian Eriksen separates the sides in Stuttgart. Denmark had the better of a low-key first half and though neither team created much, the goal was a thing of human and footballing beauty.
05:46 PM BST
45 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Just the one minute of added time.
05:44 PM BST
43 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Chance for Eriksen! Wind, who has been excellent in the first half, gets a bit of space on the left side of the area and angles a sharp cutback to Eriksen 12 yards out. He thumps a first-time shot over the bar with his left foot and waves his hands in disgust. It wasn’t a sitter, far from it, but a player of Eriksen’s class would have fancied his chances.
Jonas Wind has had an excellent first half. - Clive Mason/Getty Images
05:43 PM BST
42 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Denmark have started to dominate possession again., with Eriksen involved in everything. He has a long-range shot well blocked by Elsnik (I think).
05:39 PM BST
38 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Vestergaard slices a clearance across his own area and Bah plays safe by heading behind for a corner. It’s taken short and eventually leads to a mishit half-volley from Sporar 15 yards out. Again the flag went up when the attack broke down; again it looked very close.
05:36 PM BST
36 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Eriksen is playing magnificently here. And I’m not just saying that because of the goal. The positions he is taking, the crosses from wide, the set-pieces... all of them are causing major problems for Slovenia. They can’t pick him up. It all makes for a nice reminder of Eriksen’s quality after an underwhelming season in an underwhelming Manchester United team.
Christian Eriksen finishes emphatically past Jan Oblak. - DAMIEN MEYER/AFP
05:34 PM BST
33 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Slovenia have caused Denmark a few problems with long diagonal passes and late runs in behind. They certainly aren’t out of this game.
05:31 PM BST
30 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Sporar makes a terrific run between the centre-backs, onto a long pass from Janza, but the ball bounces awkwardly and he can’t control it on the stretch. Had he done so, he’d have been through on goal against Kasper Schmeichel.
05:29 PM BST
28 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Eriksen’s driven corner is half cleared and comes back to him on the right. He swishes a half volley that Sesko, trying to clear, volleys against his team-mate Mlakar. The ball ricochets past Oblak and just wide of the far post.
The resulting corner is headed wide by Vestergaard. Not much of a chance.
05:26 PM BST
24 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
Now it’s Denmark’s turn to demonstrate their defensive shape, with Slovenia dominating possession since that Eriksen goal. Sporar volleys wide of the near post from a tight angle after running onto a long pass from Karnicik. The flag went up afterwards but it was tight.
Andraz Sporar controls the ball on the chest before volleying wide. - FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP
05:22 PM BST
22 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
The last time Christian Eriksen played a match in a European Championship, he left the field on a stretcher after suffering a cardiac arrest that nearly took his life.
Eriksen isn’t one to get too misty-eyed about these things but that opening goal must surely have an added emotional significance for him — and certainly for his family.
Eriksen plays higher up the pitch for Denmark than he does for Manchester United. He’s a proper No 10 today, and that was a lovely finish from a player who has always had composure in the penalty area.
A deserved lead for Denmark, but Slovenia look dangerous when they progress up the pitch. Benjamin Sesko almost scored an absolute rocket.
Christian Eriksen celebrates after giving Denmark the lead with a lovely goal. - Damien Meyer/AFP
05:22 PM BST
21 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1
A good response from Slovenia, who are pinning Denmark back for the first time in the game. Not much point defending a 1-0 deficit.
05:18 PM BST
Goal!
17 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 1 (Eriksen) Christian Eriksen gives Denmark the lead with a delightful goal! Who writes his scripts? Three years on from the scariest day of his life, he has scored Denmark’s first goal of Euro 2024.
A throw-in from the right was flicked cleverly round the corner by Wind towards Eriksen, who chested the ball down and rattled an early shot past Oblak with his right foot. A lovely goal, and an even lovelier moment.
05:17 PM BST
17 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Just wide from Sesko! So that’s what all the fuss is about. Sesko turns 25 yards from goal, considers his options and launches a no-backlift shot that swerves just wide of the post. Kasper Schmeichel was scrambling desperately across his line.
05:16 PM BST
16 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Bijol is phenomenally lucky not to get a yellow card after booting Wind up in the air on the halfway line.
05:14 PM BST
14 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Slovenia have started cagily, even meekly, and are allowing Denmark to develop a passing rhythm. That said, Slovenia have been compact defensively so far and their keeper Jan Oblak has had nothing to do.
05:12 PM BST
11 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Eriksen’s free-kick is headed over the bar by Christensen, 15 yards out. It was about a twentieth of a chance.
05:10 PM BST
9 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Eriksen scoops a pass into Hojlund on the edge of the area. He plays in the wing-back Bah, whose cross-shot is well blocked by the sliding Janza.
05:09 PM BST
9 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
The two young strikers, Sesko and Hojlund, have been quiet so far. Service please!
05:07 PM BST
7 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Wind has a shot blocked by Bijol after pulling down a ball over the top. He was flagged offside but I think it was the wrong decision, so had he scored it would have counted.
Jonas Wind tries to make room for a shot. - Florencia Tan Jun/Uefa
05:06 PM BST
6 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Denmark are having loads of the ball, with their wing-backs playing high up the field. Slovenia look happy enough to play on the counter for now.
05:04 PM BST
4 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
A fast start from Denmark is interrupted when Hojlund goes down off the ball. One of the defenders accidentally stood on his heel but he seems fine.
05:01 PM BST
1 min: Slovenia 0 Denmark 0
Slovenia, all in white, kick off from left to right as we watch. Denmark are in their familiar red strip.
The Slovenia players line up before the kick off. - Angelika Warmuth/Reuters
04:58 PM BST
The national anthems
Both sets of players - and supporters - belt out their anthems with feeling. Now it’s time to go to work.
Danish supporters in Stuttgart - Clive Mason/Getty Images
04:53 PM BST
1100 days later...
04:43 PM BST
Denmark must beware threat of Sesko
Hallo and welcome to Stuttgart, where Group C — otherwise known as “England’s group” — is about to begin. England are in action later but for now, in this part of Germany at least, it’s all about Denmark and Slovenia.
In many ways, it’s also all about Christian Eriksen. The last time the Denmark playmaker featured in a European Championship match, he suffered a cardiac arrest which almost ended his life.
Will this, therefore, be an emotional occasion? Well, not according to the man himself. “It’s been three years,” he said yesterday. “A lot has happened in the meantime. It’s not something I overthink.”
With Eriksen pulling the strings, and his Manchester United team-mate Rasmus Hojlund offering goalscoring threat up front, Denmark are expected to be too strong for Slovenia today.
But Slovenia do have a threat of their own: young striker Benjamin Sesko, who was wanted by Arsenal and Chelsea before he decided to commit his future to RB Leipzig. He’s big, he’s quick, he can shoot with both feet and he can leap higher than the crossbar. Let’s see how Denmark handle him.
Benjamin Sesko is Slovenia's main threat. - Alex Caparros /Uefa
04:40 PM BST
Fighting in Gelsenkirchen ahead of England game
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04:14 PM BST
Team news
Slovenia (possible 4-4-2) Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Mlatar; Sporar, Sesko.
Subs: Balkovec, Blazic, Stankovic, Verbic, Lovric, Belec, Kurtic, Horvat, Vekic, Vipotnik, Celar, Brekalo, Zugelj, Zeljkovic, Ilicic.
Denmark (possible 3-4-1-2) Schmeichel; Christensen, Andersen, Vestergaard; Bah, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Kristiansen; Eriksen; Wind, Hojlund.
Subs: Kjaer, Maehle, Jensen, Delaney, Skov Olsen, Dolberg, Mathias Zanka Jorgensen, Damsgaard, Norgaard, Hermansen, Poulsen, Ronnow, Dreyer, Kristensen, Bruun Larsen.
Referee Sandro Scharer (Switzerland)
Rasmus Hojlund starts up front for Denmark. - Chris Ricco/Uefa
04:12 PM BST
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04:07 PM BST
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of Slovenia v Denmark in Stuttgart. It’s the first game in England’s group, between two sides who know each other very well. Slovenia and Denmark were in the same qualification group and finished with almost identical records. Denmark had an inferior goal difference but finished top because of their superior head-to-head record: a 2-1 win at home and a 1-1 draw away. In fact, Slovenia have never beaten Denmark.
It’ll be an emotional day for Christian Eriksen, who almost died during Denmark’s opening game of the last European Championship. The team eventually reached the semi-finals before losing to England, but they were one of the biggest disappointments of the last World Cup. “I think 2021 is full of great memories,” said Eriksen. “Of course it started very negative and very pessimistic, but later on everything got more optimistic and we got more free. But there’s been a lot of years since then, and we’re just going to focus on the games now, so as (head coach) Kasper Hjulmand said, we just have to do our best now and be relaxed.”
Slovenia’s only previous appearance was in 2000, when they blew a 3-0 lead against 10-man Yugoslavia in their opening game. That game ended 3-3, and they eventually went out with two points from their three games. “We have been waiting too long,” said the midfielder Timi Elsnik. “We have reached our goal by coming here, but this is not the end. The best teams in Europe play in this competition and we are among them. This shouldn’t be a burden to us, we shouldn’t feel too much pressure. Everyone will give their utmost, but we shouldn’t forget to enjoy these moments.”
Kick off 5pm.
Danish Dynamite comes to Stuttgart. - Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Uefa
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