It will be one of the defining moments of the 2020 European Championship, though fortunately Christian Eriksen’s collapse didn’t lead to anything more sinister thanks to the quick interventions of the officials and medical staff.
Having been in hospital ever since, hope is on the horizon that he could leave his bed in a week or so, after undergoing successful surgery to have a defibrillator implanted in his heart to control his cardiac rhythm, according to Sport.
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It’s beyond the comprehension of most that a seemingly healthy 29-year-old can effectively drop down dead, but that was the precise situation that faced Eriksen until his heart was restarted again with the aid of an on-site defibrillator.
Even though Denmark are unlikely to progress in the competition having lost both of their opening games at the tournament, there’ll surely be no better feeling for the squad than knowing that their team-mate has pulled through.
Sometimes, football has to take a distant second place.