Denmark advances to Euro 2020 Round of 16
Less than two full weeks after Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest and nearly lost his life on the pitch, Denmark earned a spot in the Round of 16 of the UEFA European Championship.
Denmark's emotional 4-1 trouncing of Russia combined with Belgium's 2-0 win over Finland confirmed the Danes will go through to the tournament's knockout stages. They will now face Wales on Saturday:
The Denmark players notched their victory and then had to refresh a mobile device to learn they'd received the necessary help from Belgium to finish second in Group B:
The previously mentioned Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during Denmark's tournament opener against Finland on June 12 and was resuscitated before he was transported to a local hospital, where he remained until this past Friday. That same day, the Danish Football Association announced the 29-year-old had undergone successful surgery to have a defibrillator implanted.
"Thank you for the massive number of greetings -- it has been incredible to see and feel," Eriksen said in a released statement. "The operation went well, and I am doing well under the circumstances. It was really great to see the guys again after the fantastic game they played last night. No need to say, that I will be cheering them on Monday against Russia."
Per The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Eriksen surprised his teammates by visiting them during Friday's training session. It's unclear if he will attempt to resume his career at this stage of his recovery.
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