In a lively pre-Euro 2024 friendly at a sold-out Parken stadium on Wednesday, Christian Eriksen scored a spectacular late winner to give Denmark a 2-1 victory over Sweden. This victory solidified his status as the most potent creative force for the Danes in the lead-up to the tournament in Germany.

The host team broke the deadlock in just over a minute when Sweden’s defence was caught off guard at the game’s first corner. Eriksen then found Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the near post for an effortless finish.

Seven minutes later, Alexander Isak collected a blocked shot from Jens Cajuste and slammed it past Frederik Ronnow in the Danish goal, as the red-clad supporters anticipated that this would be the beginning of an onslaught.

The 32-year-old Eriksen, who collapsed due to a heart attack on the same pitch in Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland, was instrumental in the team’s victory, which was well-deserved. His curling, dipping strike in the 86th minute was the deciding factor.

Jon Dahl Tomasson, the Danish coach of Sweden, was inducted into the Danish football Hall of Fame prior to the game. His team demonstrated strong defensive capabilities; however, they struggled in the attacking phase, with Isak and Dejan Kulusevski frequently being obstructed by the Danish defence.

Kasper Hjulmand, the Danish coach, credited Tomasson for his progress with Sweden, which was unable to qualify for the Euros under the previous coach, Janne Andersson. This move paved the way for the Dane to assume the role.

“They engage in a man-to-man game that is exceedingly aggressive.” In general, I believe that we committed an excessive number of turnovers during the first half, which allowed them to capitalise on opportunities that were not warranted,” Hjulmand stated to TV2.

“We should have scored a little more … we must look at the opportunities Sweden got, because we must not give them chances,” according to him.

Eriksen was almost more pleased with the assist for the opening goal than he was with netting the winner, as he had faced criticism for a series of subpar set pieces during the qualifying process.

“It was nice, and it was good that we scored from a dead ball, I think it created a bit of calm in our team,” he reported to television station TV2.

On Saturday, Denmark will conclude their Euro 2024 preparations with a home game against Norway. Subsequently, they will travel to Germany, where they will compete in Group C against Slovenia, England, and Serbia.