Before kick-off, the captain of the selection was given a standing ovation by the public, banners "Welcome to the Christian house" in English and Danish were deployed by the fans as soon as the players entered the lawn of Parken , the national stadium in the Danish capital.
A banner "Welcome to Christian's house" is displayed by Danish supporters for the return of midfielder Christian Eriksen, on March 29, 2022 in Copenhagen, where he suffered a cardiac arrest during the Euro, before the match friendly against Serbia Liselotte Sabroe Ritzau Scanpix/AFP
Man of the match, number 10 left the field in the 80th minute, to the applause of a standing audience, twenty minutes after scoring the third goal of the match, won 3-0 by the Danes.
Captain and midfielder Christian Eriksen, scorer against Serbia in their friendly match, thanks the supporters during his replacement, March 29, 2022 in Copenhagen Liselotte Sabroe Ritzau Scanpix / AFP
"To come back to Parken and score a goal with the reception I received and still receive is something that gives you chills. It's something that makes me incredibly happy," he told Kanal5 at the end of the match which was sold out, unheard of for a friendly meeting for years.
Visibly touched Eriksen, who currently plays for Brentford in the Premier League, stayed on the pitch for a long time with the team to greet the public.
He had confided his emotion on the eve of driving back the lawn of a now very special stadium.
"It's always been special to play in Parken but tomorrow it will probably be a little more special," Eriksen told public broadcaster DR.
"It's a good end to a chapter but also the start of a new one".
Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen against Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlovic during their friendly match on March 29, 2022 in Copenhagen Liselotte Sabroe Ritzau Scanpix/AFP
According to TV2, the encounter put "a perfect end point" to the incident that happened nine months ago.
“The dry results (of the match) will never do justice to the cohesion that emerged from the four stands of Parken,” wrote public television.
For the supporters, the match promised to be extraordinary from the outset.
"It's going to be a magical moment for all the fans here today to see him walk into Parken and for him to get all the applause," Magnus Hall told AFP before kick-off.
On June 12, 2021, the 30-year-old playmaker collapsed on the stadium lawn, victim of cardiac arrest, remaining lifeless for long minutes before returning to him after an emergency rescue.
He has since been living with an internal defibrillator.
Eriksen shone on Saturday for his return to selection against the Netherlands, scoring two minutes after entering the game, largely eclipsing the Danish defeat (4-2).
© 2022 AFP