Former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel says Christian Eriksen’s wife believed her husband ‘had died’ during yesterday’s shocking Euro 2020 incident.
The legendary stopper said Denmark players had to reassure mother-of-two Sabrina Kvist Jensen that the star was still breathing after he collapsed in yesterday’s game against Finland.
Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Schmeichel, whose son Kasper was one of the Denmark players to rush to selflessly to comfort the star’s wife during the incident, said: ‘That would be the worst two hours in my time in football.
‘Absolutely no information. We could see it was very serious, we look to the reaction of the players.
‘It happened not very far from where all the wives of the players were situated and of course Christian’s wife would have seen that, she came onto the pitch.
‘You could see from the reaction of… my son Kasper running over to her and I obviously spoke to him last night and he went over to say Christian is breathing and she actually believed he had passed away.’
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and captain Simon Kjaer – despite dealing with their own anguish at seeing their teammate collapse – were among the Denmark stars to selflessly support Sabrina during the incident.
The 28-year-old, who is the mother of Eriksen’s two children, was understandably distraught after the star collapsed during the team’s Euro 2020 match against Finland yesterday.
Today, the midfielder is said to be in a stable condition in hospital, and even managed to text his team-mates at club side Inter Milan to tell them ‘I’m good’.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and captain Simon Kjaer – despite dealing with their own anguish at seeing their teammate collapse – selflessly ran to support Sabrina Kvist Jensen
The 28-year-old, who is the mother of Eriksen’s two children, was understandably distraught after the star collapsed during the team’s Euro 2020 match against Finland yesterday
The update will be a huge relief for Eriksen’s girlfriend, who in December gave birth to their second child, a daughter – whose name has not been made public. Pictured: Christian Eriksen announced the birth of their daughter in December (pictured)
Millions of football fans watched in shock and horror as the Denmark midfielder, 29, fell to the floor and was given CPR during his side’s Euro 2020 match with Finland on Saturday
It will be a huge relief for Eriksen’s girlfriend, who in December gave birth to their second child, a daughter – whose name has not been made public.
They also have a son Alfred, who was born in June 2018.
The couple announced the birth of their second child on Instagram last year, in a post which said: ‘Family of 4 ❤️’. The post was liked more than 240,000 times.
The pair began dating in August 2012 when Eriksen was playing for Dutch side Ajax.
Sabrina, a trained hairdresser, is involved in the work of Fodboldfoden, a Danish charity which helps to support disadvantaged children.
The couple currently live together in Milan – where Eriksen plys his trade for Italian club side Inter.
Today it was reported that the star midfielder texted the team’s WhatsApp group saying ‘I’m good’ late last night after he collapsed while playing yesterday.
Eriksen, a Tottenham Hotspur star, was rushed to hospital where is now said to be in a stable condition, according to the Danish FA.
Last night, Giuseppe Marotta, the chief executive of Eriksen’s club side, Inter Milan, provided another ray of hope as he told Italian media that the star had text teammates via the squad’s Whatsapp group.
‘The players are very close and we all immediately communicated with each other after seeing those images,’ Marotta told Rai Sport.
‘We didn’t want to be invasive and so tried to respect his convalescence once we had been reassured.
Christian Eriksen is reportedly stable in hospitality and has text teammates at Inter Milan after his horrifying on pitch collapse yesterday
The former Tottenham star was rushed to hospital following the incident and is now said to be in a stable condition
Pictured: Rigshospitalet hospital, where Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen is being treated after collapsing on the pitch during his side’s Euro 2020 match with Finland
‘I can only say that 10 minutes ago Eriksen himself sent a message in our internal chat and this confirms the bond between the players.’
Marotta also said that Eriksen’s collapse was not due to Covid-19, but told Italian media he would not be giving any further information on the midfielder’s health – saying he would leave that to officials from Denmark.
He said: ‘He did not have Covid and was not vaccinated either. At this moment, Eriksen is under the guidance of the Danish medical staff.
‘It is right that they release information, but I can say the Inter medical staff have been in contact with them from the start.’
Today Italian-based journalist Tancredi Palmeri said that Eriksen had ‘posted a text on Inter squad’s whatsapp group, saying ‘I’m good” at 11pm.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, the Danish Football Association said in a statement that they had spoken to Eriksen again.
Giuseppe Marotta (pictured), the chief executive of Eriksen’s club side, Inter Milan, yesterday provided another glimmer of hope as he told Italian media that the star had text teammates through their Whatsapp group
‘This morning we have spoken to Christian Eriksen and he has sent his greetings to his team-mates.
‘His condition is stable and he continues to be hospitalised for further examination.’
Today Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ‘shocked’ by what happened at the match.
‘He is very thankful for the quick thinking actions of officials,’ the spokesman said.
‘The response of players and fans in the stadium was exemplary. It showed sport at its best.’
Asked about the BBC’s handling of the footage, the spokesman said it is a ‘matter for them’.
Yesterday it was revealed how Denmark captain Simon Kjaer played a heroic role in saving Eriksen’s life after his collapse.
Shortly before half-time at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Eriksen suddenly fell to the ground as he ran back from the Finland penalty area, leaving players from both teams in clear distress.
Kjaer rushed to his stricken team-mate and was the first to get to Eriksen.
He quickly ensured he didn’t swallow his tongue while he lay unconscious – and even gave him CPR before the medics arrived.
English referee Anthony Taylor immediately called medics on to the pitch and Eriksen underwent prolonged treatment, with compressions performed on the chest of the 29-year-old Inter Milan player before he was taken to hospital for further treatment, where his condition was said to have stabilised.
Kjaer, 32, instructed his other teammates to form a barrier around Eriksen so he could have as much privacy as possible while Eriksen received treatment.
He also raced over to Eriksen’s wife, Sabrina Kvist, and embraced her as the terrifying scenes unfolded.
Denmark captain Simon Kjaer (right) stood up as a leader when Christian Eriksen collapsed
Kjaer (left) was the first to Eriksen when he went to ground and helped clear his airways
Kjaer (top) bravely stayed and watched on as Eriksen received CPR treatment from medics
Kjaer (second from front) led his side back out to resume nearly two hours after the incident
Leading NHS cardiologist Dr Scott Murray has told Sportsmail that Kjaer’s heroics were the right thing to do and that Eriksen was ‘lucky’ to have such a good support around him.
He told MailOnline: ‘We’re just lucky that the players on the pitch knew what to do, to put him in a safe position and make sure he wasn’t choking and alert the medical team.’
Kjaer then made sure that all of his team-mates on the field escorted Eriksen to the changing rooms while he was motionless on a stretcher with an oxygen mask attached to his nose.
This was done to prevent the many photographers from taking pictures or making videos that could alarm or create unpleasant suggestions to fans all over the world through television.
Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said he quickly realised there wasn´t a second to lose.
‘[Christian.] was breathing, and I could feel his pulse. But suddenly that changed,’ Boesen. ‘And as everyone saw, we started giving him CPR.
‘We managed to get Christian back. And he spoke to me before he was taken to the hospital.’
Finnish fans were then heard shouting the name ‘Christian’ and all the Danish fans present at the stadium responded by shouting the surname ‘Eriksen’.
The defender is one of Eriksen’s best friends, and the pair meet up together regularly in Milan, irrespective of the rival teams they play for in the city.
An investigation into the player’s health to understand what happened to a healthy athlete who has never had serious physical problems in his career is now set to take place.
Eriksen is now in a ‘stable condition’ in hospital with the Danish Football Union confirming their star player ‘is awake’ and awaits further tests.
His agent Martin Schoots told a Danish radio station that he ‘breathes and can speak. He is out of danger’.
Eriksen is also understood to have spoken to his teammates from his hospital bed to reassure them of his condition.
According to The Sun, Harry Kane – the England captain and Eriksen’s former team-mate at Tottenham – was ‘numb with shock’ and ‘devastated’ as the Three Lions watched the scenes unfold before their opening game of the Euros on Sunday.
Kjaer was dejected after his side lost 1-0 to Finland – but he won the hearts and minds of many
But fans and ex-players were left furious after UEFA order the rest of the game has to be played.
Remarkably, the match kicked off again around 7.30pm UK time following confirmation from UEFA – in a move blasted as ‘greedy’ by some supporters.
His former cardiologist at Tottenham told The Mail on Sunday that it was a miracle he survived and it’s probable the star had suffered a cardiac arrest, despite having no history of heart problems.
A statement posted to UEFA’s official Twitter account read: ‘Following the medical emergency involving Denmark’s player Christian Eriksen, a crisis meeting has taken place with both teams and match officials and further information will be communicated at 19:45 CET.
‘The player has been transferred to the hospital and has been stabilised.’
The match was postponed resumed around 7.30pm UK time last night. Pictured: The Danish FA posted this message after the incident
UEFA said the restart was agreed ‘following the request made by players of both teams’
A later post read: ‘Following the request made by players of both teams, UEFA has agreed to restart the match between Denmark and Finland tonight at 8.30pm CET.’
Saturday night’s match between Belgium and Russia also went ahead with the former winning 3-0 in Saint-Petersburg.
The move to resume the Denmark vs Finland match was blasted online, with one fan writing: ‘I can’t believe UEFA is actually going to finish this match tonight. Greedy monsters.’
Another wrote: ‘Cancel every game today man don’t be greedy for once, please.’
Meanwhile, one Twitter user added: ‘I just hope y’all fans who were calling Super League ‘greedy’ can see that UEFA is the biggest of all greedy entity.’
Another person called for the tournament to be halted. They wrote: ‘How greedy can you be? Cancel this match, stop this tournament!’
The drama began in the 42nd minute of the match as Denmark were attacking Finland’s goal. TV cameras cut to Eriksen – his team’s top scorer in their qualifying matches with five goals – who looked out of breath after chasing a ball that was cleared out of play by a Finland defender.
The midfielder, who moved from Tottenham to Italian side Inter Milan last year, slowed to a walk before staggering and collapsing to the ground
The Denmark team’s physios arrived within 20 seconds, but the players became distressed at the absence of emergency paramedics and waved for further assistance.
An emergency team soon arrived and after a couple of minutes the stunned Denmark players formed a protective ring around Eriksen to shield him and the medical team.
A hush fell over the 16,000-strong crowd as the medics were seen pumping Eriksen’s chest.
Many supporters were in tears and others turned away, unable to watch the distressing scenes. Meanwhile, Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel ran to comfort Ms Kvist Jensen, who has two children with Eriksen.
At 5.55pm, the devastated Finland team left the field, followed by the referee and other match officials. Shortly afterwards, Eriksen, by now conscious, was removed from the pitch.
The BBC faced widespread criticism for not cutting away sooner after the collapse.
While Eriksen’s Denmark team-mates formed a ring around the player while he appeared to be receiving CPR, the BBC continued to broadcast the distressing scene while also showing the player’s wife on the sidelines.
Ian Wright was among those to voice their shock that the broadcaster failed to cut away for so long. He tweeted: ‘CUT TO THE STUDIO FFS!!!!’
Jermaine Beckford added: ‘This needs to cut to the studio now! Christian Eriksen This is not good for the viewing public just go back to the studio just think of who is watching come on BBC,’ tweeted Frank Bruno.
Stephen Humphrys, a forward for League One side Rochdale, also hailed the unity of the Danish players and their immediate reaction.
‘Danish players guarding their teammate from the cameras is one of the best symbols of unity I’ve ever seen,’ Humphrys’ posted. ‘Huge respect. On the other hand, they shouldn’t have had to do it but unfortunately the media have no boundaries these days.’
Spencer Owen was also critical of the decision to show Eriksen’s girlfriend as part of the coverage.
He tweeted: ‘It must have been very difficult to know what to do from a broadcasting perspective as the Eriksen situation developed, but I can’t get my head around the fact that a director must have said ‘right now cut to his wife. There’s no other way that shot happens surely? Sickening.’
The corporation later apologised after complaints, saying: ‘We apologise to anyone who was upset by the images broadcast. In-stadium coverage is controlled by Uefa as the host broadcaster, and as soon as the match was suspended, we took our coverage off air as quickly as possible.’