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Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel confirmed Monday that he visited teammate Christian Eriksen in hospital yesterday after he collapsed during Saturday’s Denmark-Finland Euro match.
“It was beautiful to see him and talk to him,” he told a press conference, the first for the Danish players after the dramatic incident that led to the match being suspended for more than an hour and a half.
“I have a feeling of pride. I don’t know if the word expresses it well, but I feel joy and gratitude for the work of our doctors and physios, while watching everyone. They were so calm. It’s a miracle to have people like them,” he said.
Schmeichel ran across the pitch after seeing Eriksen collapse on his own and he and captain Simon Kjær also comforted Eriksen’s partner Sabrina, who had jumped onto the pitch as medics tried to revive him.
“I knew his wife and children, his parents, family and friends were in the crowd. I was looking for them. It was an inhuman situation,” he said.
Schmeichel was critical of UEFA’s decision to present them with only two options once they knew Eriksen was better: either restart the game on Saturday itself or wait until the following day at noon.
“They put us in a position I feel they shouldn’t have put us in. The situation called for someone higher up to say it wasn’t the right time to make a decision,” he said.
The Leicester goalkeeper was grateful for the support and affection received from the fans these days and vowed to give “everything” in the remainder of the tournament.
“We are still in the competition. We lost but we gave everything and I am sure we will do the same: the main thing is to be together and give our best. We can do something together for Christian and for the people who were sitting in the stands and witnessed everything,” he said.
