MARTIN KEOWN: It was harrowing to be on co-commentary duty when Christian Eriksen collapsed… it took huge professionalism for Denmark and Finland players to return to the pitch
I’d never seen anything like this on a football field.
I was on co-commentary duty for the BBC and as a throw-in was taken, Christian Eriksen fell to the ground. It wasn’t a natural fall, and my concern was immediate.
In that moment, you forget the match. You go from looking forward to analysing a game to realising something much more important is at stake.
Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s Euro 2020 tie with Finland on Saturday night
A shocked Martin Keown was on co-commentary duty for the BBC during the incident
My thoughts are with Eriksen and his family. It was harrowing to witness and be a part of it on air.
I cannot begin to imagine what Eriksen’s family must have been feeling. I liked seeing his Denmark team-mates create a protective shield around him. That was iconic.
Then the decision was taken by both teams that the Group B fixture should be played to a finish.
Eriksen needed intense CPR but was stabilised and brought back to life in Copenhagen
It took incredible professionalism for those players to go back out there, given what had happened.
Denmark lost 1-0, but when someone’s life has just been saved on that same football field, everything else is put into perspective.
We know what matters most, and that is Eriksen’s welfare.