When life and death hang in the balance, national emotions seem to take a back seat. Finland witnessed their first historic UEFA Nations Cup victory over the hosts, but their celebrations were unusually low-key.
That night, the atmosphere in Copenhagen was charged with prayers for life that far outweighed any win or loss of the game.
In the middle of the match, an accident happened. Danish star Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed to the ground and fell into a coma, and emergency CPR was performed in a critical situation. The entire stadium was stunned, both Danish and Finnish players and fans, many people covered their faces and cried, bowed their heads in silence. Only from the televised images, you can also feel the strong shock.
Fortunately, Eriksson regained consciousness after emergency resuscitation and was gradually stabilized after being transported to the hospital. It was not until he was indeed safe that the players of both teams resumed play nearly two hours after the accident. The Finnish players applauded in unison to honor the returning Danish team.
As the match was about to restart, the Finnish players neatly applauded the Danish players who had re-stepped onto the field. (Image from Goal.com)
With a goal after the resumption of the match, Finland secured this historic victory with a score of 1-0. But in this context, the win no longer matters, as long as Eriksson is safe and sound.
The Danish head coach said in a post-match interview that some of the players were so emotionally drained that they could not actually continue playing. Eriksen was not only their teammate, but also their friend, and they were holding onto Eriksen and his family. Those at the scene of the incident were physically and emotionally drained and were left with indelible psychological scars. The Danish players were able to finish the game, showing remarkable willpower.
In the aftermath, Danish captain Simon Kjær was hailed as a rescue hero. He reacted quickly and calmly, and was the first to help Eriksen keep his airway open, buying valuable rescue time. The medical team then quickly rushed to the scene to provide first aid, while Kjær organized the whole team players to form a circle to protect the injured. In the thrilling rescue, Erickson regained consciousness before being sent to the hospital.
A Danish media outlet reported with this headline:
Denmark lost. But life won. （But life won.)
In a moment of struggle against death, the rivalry between nations becomes insignificant. Denmark was unable to prevent Finland from scoring, but in the face of life and death, it all seemed inconsequential, just to save precious lives.
Finland's Pohjanpalo showed respect for Denmark by refusing to celebrate after scoring. (Image from Goal.com)
During the incident, Finnish fans chanted "Christian" and Danish fans responded with "Eriksen" to cheer him on. The Finns handed over the flag to the medical team in case of emergency, and Eriksen left the field escorted by the Finnish flag. At that moment, there was no difference between national boundaries on the pitch. Whether we are Danes or Finns, we are first and foremost human beings, and in the face of life and death, the initial sympathy of human nature was returned.
An epidemic has taken away countless lives, giving people a deep impression of the fragility of life. Now that the European Cup of Nations is finally able to start, it seems that the gloom is going to be dispelled, but I did not expect such an accident to happen. Being alive is a precious thing in itself. Fortunately, people's timely response saved the ball player's life, and we are also glad that in a life-and-death situation, the light of humanity shines out across national boundaries.
