Eriksen's Comeback Goal for Denmark in Euro 2024 Opener

Christian Eriksen marked a poignant milestone by scoring for Denmark in their European Championship opener against Slovenia, three years after experiencing a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020. The match, held on Sunday in Stuttgart, saw the 32-year-old midfielder net the opening goal in the 17th minute following a flicked pass from Jonas Wind inside the box.

Eriksen's early goal appeared to set Denmark on course for victory, but Slovenia's Erik Janža equalized in the 77th minute with a deflected strike, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

"Well, it was nice [to score], it came at a good time," Eriksen said. "We had talked about scoring from a set-piece and we did and, unfortunately, the others did too, but we scored and got off to a good start. It was great with so many Danish fans."

Eriksen's cardiac arrest occurred in the 43rd minute of Denmark's match against Finland during Euro 2020, with the game tied at 0-0. Finland eventually secured a 1-0 victory, and Eriksen was named man of the match. At the time, Danish football federation director Peter Moeller confirmed Eriksen received immediate medical attention on the field.

"He fell over and got help and heart massage on the field," Moeller told Danish public broadcaster DR. "He was fortunately awake when he left the stadium."

Eriksen, then playing for Inter Milan, moved to Premier League side Brentford in 2022 before joining Manchester United later that year on a three-year deal.

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand praised Eriksen's performance and his integral role in the team.

"He [Eriksen] has something very special," Hjulmand said. "He played a fantastic game for us today and he is the rhythm of our team. We want to push him close to the goal and we see again today why, because he has some finishing and break-through skills that we need."

Despite criticism for relying on Eriksen, who had limited playing time for Manchester United in the past season, Hjulmand remains confident in his decision to include him.

"I have never had my doubts with Christian as a football player; you cannot hold down that kind of class. He is a natural player who knows the rhythm of the game - we say he's the heart of our game. For me he's a great player, and he showed it today," he said.

Eriksen's goal came exactly 1,100 days after his cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 game against Finland in Copenhagen.