Denmark rallies in stunning fashion to advance in Euros after Christian Eriksen on-field health scare

Denmark's 4-1 victory over Russia in the UEFA European Championships on Tuesday is "why we watch sports," the soccer-loving comedy duo Men in Blazers tweeted.

The Danes are barely more than a week removed from when one their star players, Christian Eriksen, suffered cardiac arrest on the field during their first game of the tournament against Finland. Eriksen was rushed to the hospital and while he's fortunately recovering now, the incident was harrowing. The Denmark-Finland game was suspended and after it eventually restarted, Finland scratched out a 1-0 victory that put Denmark in a hole.

Their next game was an emotional affair against Belgium. Although Denmark jumped out to a 1-0 lead, the top-flight Belgium squad scored two unanswered goals in the second half, leaving the Danes pointless after two matches and in need of a win against Russia in the final group stage contest steal a place in the tournament's knockout stage.

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Did they ever deliver. Denmark routed Russia 4-1, vaulting them into second place in their group and subsequently, the round of 16. The victory was all but sealed after a stunning 79th-minute goal from Andreas Christiansen in front of a roaring Copenhagen crowd.

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Although it reads like a storybook ending, Denmark is no Cinderella; they're No. 10 in the FIFA world rankings and will have their sights set on advancing further.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.