Almost nine months since collapsing with cardiac arrest in Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener in Parken Stadium, Christian Eriksen made his return to the national team.
And what a return it was. H C Andersen would have had a difficult time writing a better fairytale.
With Denmark trailing 1-3 to the Netherlands in tonight’s friendly, Eriksen came on at halftime to immense applause at Amsterdam Arena, the stadium where his career blossomed early on.
Two minutes later, and his remarkable return reached new heights as he had pulled one back for the Danes with a fierce finish.
He nearly added another later on, cracking a long effort off the Dutch woodwork.
READ ALSO: Christian Eriksen makes return to Denmark squad
Parken beckons
Ultimately, however, the Dutch capitalised on some shoddy defending from the Danes to run out 4-2 winners.
But Eriksen seems to be on track with his plan to play in the 2022 World Cup later this year – something that seemed unimaginable last June.
And he can make another special return next week, when he returns to Parken Stadium for the first time since last summer for a friendly against Serbia.
No doubt, that promises to another emotional night for Denmark’s players and fans alike.
An interesting note tonight was that there were actually two players on the pitch with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). Aside from Eriksen, Dutch back Daley Blind also has one.
