Christian Eriksen found the back of the net for Denmark in a 1-1 draw against Slovenia during Euro 2024 on Sunday, almost three years after he had a near-fatal incident in his team’s previous tournament.
The Manchester United midfielder put his team in the lead after 17 minutes in a stadium bustling with Denmark supporters in Stuttgart. However, Erik Janza’s late deflected shot secured Slovenia a point in their first European Championship match since 2000.
Moving forward, Denmark is scheduled to face England in their second Group C fixture in Frankfurt on Thursday, while Slovenia will continue their journey against Serbia in Munich.
Denmark had a remarkable run to the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 tournament, delayed due to the pandemic, before succumbing to England. Their emotional journey was sparked by Eriksen’s collapse in Copenhagen, where he suffered a cardiac arrest and required resuscitation on the pitch. Following this incident, Eriksen returned to the field after receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, making a comeback to international duty nine months later and participating in the 2022 World Cup.
On the brink of Denmark’s opening match in Euro 2024, Eriksen expressed that the traumatic event is no longer a constant thought for him. His sole focus remains on aiding his country in another significant campaign in Germany.
Slovenia’s midfielder Timi Max Elsnik acknowledged that there wouldn’t be many surprises for either team, given their close finish behind Denmark based on head-to-head records in the qualifying stage.
With Denmark keeping a close eye on highly-rated Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko, the match featured notable moments where Sesko nearly caught goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel off guard with a powerful attempt. However, it was Denmark who capitalized on the opportunity with Eriksen’s well-executed strike.
As the game progressed, Slovenia’s Andraz Sporar missed a chance to exploit a gap in Denmark’s defense, while Sesko faced a nerve-wracking moment when his clearance almost resulted in an own goal, narrowly missing the target under the watchful eyes of Jan Oblak.
The match saw multiple near misses and close calls, with Eriksen’s impact on display as he almost doubled Denmark’s lead towards the end of the first half. Slovenia pressed for an equalizer, and their efforts paid off when Janza’s powerful shot, deflected off Morten Hjulmand, found the back of the net, leveling the score.
Despite Sporar’s late opportunity to secure victory for Slovenia, he narrowly missed the target, leading to a shared outcome between the two teams.
