Danish national team head coach Kasper Hjulmand has opened up about the experience of watching Inter midfielder Christian Eriksen suffer a cardiac arrest on the pitch, and the effect that it had on the player’s teammates.
Speaking in a documentary on Belgian broadcaster DR, as reported by FCInter1908, the Danish coach emphasizes that the experience left the players in the Danish squad in a state of shock.
After the incident, UEFA made the controversial decision to restart the match, which the Danish team lost to Finland 1-0, with many thinking that the player’s mindsets could have been affected by witnessing the near-tragedy occur with their captain and the uncertainty of whether he would be alright.
This is confirmed by Hjulmand in the interview, with the manager speaking about the effects of the incident on his players during the second half of the match, played in the absence of their captain while the Nerazzurri midfielder was in hospital with his condition being stabilized.
“It remains a mystery to me,” Hjulmand said, “how we managed to play in that way. People have supported and supported us. It helped us find meaning in a situation that didn’t make sense.”
He continued: “I think that fans’ affection was exactly what allowed us to get back to playing. We were all in some kind of a state of shock. After what happened, my players were like ghosts running around the pitch in the match against Finland.”
