RETURNED SOLDIER: Eriksen broke down in emotion as he created ‘fairy tale’ moments and made ‘7 important passes’, but the Man Utd star could not help Denmark win against Slovenia.
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen produced yet another sensational performance for the national team, this time against Slovenia on Sunday.
However, despite his heroics, Denmark could not secure all three points as they were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening group stage clash of Euro 2024.
Eriksen broke the deadlock just 17 minutes into proceedings in stunning style.
His United teammate Rasmus Hojlund won a throw-in. A cross from the right found its way into the penalty area before Jonas Wind backheeled the ball into the path of an incoming Eriksen. Eriksen expertly controlled the ball with his chest and tucked it into the bottom corner.
The goal was Eriksen’s 42nd for Denmark and he is now tied for fourth in the all-time goalscoring records for his country.
It was an emotional moment for Eriksen, who couldn’t hide his joy as he celebrated with his teammates and supporters at the Stuttgart Arena.
This occasion marked three years since Eriksen almost lost his life in a European Championship clash in his home country. To be precise, Sunday was 1,100 days since Eriksen collapsed at Parken Stadium – FC Copenhagen’s grounds – during a Euro 2020 match after he went into cardiac arrest.
For 13 minutes, the football world held its breath as Eriksen was attended by medics. It’s nothing short of a miracle that he’s still playing and the fact that he grabbed Denmark’s opening goal of Euro 2024 against Slovenia is a very heartwarming side story in the ongoing tournament.
Beyond his goal, the 32-year-old caused Slovenia all other sorts of problems.
Eriksen registered three total shots, his goal which was on-target and two other efforts that didn’t trouble Jan Oblak in the Slovenia goal.
The United No. 14 registered a total of 78 touches of the ball during the time he was on the pitch. He successfully found his teammates with 44 of the 50 passes he attempted, managing an individual pass accuracy of 88%. Seven of Eriksen’s passes were key passes.
He tried to find a teammate with 14 crosses and two long balls. Seven of his crosses found their intended target. He didn’t connect with any of the long balls he pinged.
Eriksen delved into six ground duels and came out on top on four occasions. He also put in one tackle.
Denmark will be eager to get back to winning ways when they take on England in four days.
