Christian Eriksen scored in Denmark's tie, three years after cardiac arrest

Christian Eriksen scored for Denmark in their opening match of the European Championship against Slovenia on Sunday, marking a poignant comeback three years after his cardiac arrest during the 2021 tournament.

In the 17th minute of the match in Stuttgart, Eriksen, 32, gave the Danes the lead after receiving a flicked pass inside the area from Jonas Wind.

His collapse from cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 tournament, delayed by the pandemic, occurred in Denmark’s first game against Finland in Copenhagen. He needed emergency CPR for 13 minutes on the field in order to be revived, and then he was quickly taken to a nearby hospital.

Eriksen was given an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a kind of pacemaker that prevents cardiac arrests by delivering a shock to restore normal cardiac rhythm, after he received life-saving care on the field.

Because of his near-death experience, Eriksen has become an unusually thoughtful and philosophical person about life.

His goal in this tournament, his first since the incident, was a deeply emotional milestone, celebrated by teammates and fans worldwide as a testament to his remarkable recovery and return to top-level football.