Icelandic Player Suffers Heart Attack During Norwegian League Match

Icelandic midfielder Emil Balson collapsed during a Norwegian second division football match after suffering a heart attack, as announced by his team, Sogndal, on Monday. The 28-year-old midfielder suddenly fell in the 12th minute of the match between Stjørdals-Blink and Sogndal at the "Vossahaugen Campus" in western Norway. The Sogndal club stated, "Emil Balson suffered a heart attack in the 12th minute of the match. Balson was successfully resuscitated and then transferred to Haukeland Hospital for further examination and treatment." The match was suspended and players went to the locker rooms while the medical team surrounded Balson and began resuscitation efforts, before he was later taken off the field. Club official Geir Inge Heggstad reassured the newspaper "VG" that "Balson is alive and being examined by the best at Haukeland Hospital. There may not be further information tonight. I expect we will learn more by tomorrow morning." Balson is playing for Sogndal on loan from Sarpsborg, which competes in the Norwegian top division. In June, a similar incident occurred when Danish player Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed after suffering a heart attack during his country's opening match at Euro 2020 against Finland.