Shocking! 21-year-old Greek footballer suffers cardiac arrest on pitch, dies within minutes

A Greek footballer has died after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game where there was no defibrillator or ambulance at the stadium.

The player, aged 21, was playing for Greek third tier team, Ilioupoli, when tragedy struck five minutes into the game.

Alexandros Lampis collapsed at the First Municipal Stadium during a match on Wednesday.

The stadium is within a south-eastern suburb of the Greek capital Athens, but the ambulance did not arrive for 20 minutes and there was no way to resuscitate the stricken player at the ground.

The incident comes after the world watched in horror only eight months ago when Christian Eriksen collapsed suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest, while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.

In that incident, Denmark’s team doctor, Morten Boesen, confirmed that the 29-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest on the pitch and was brought back through a combination of CPR and an electric shock from a defibrillator.

Eriksen’s life was saved and he is now set to make a remarkable return to top-flight football with Brentford.

Since then, football has been rocked by a series of high-profile collapses among players.

Sergio Aguero was forced to retire after experiencing chest pains playing for Barcelona while there were also scares for Victor Lindelof and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

This season, Wigan striker Charlie Wyke, 28, collapsed in training, Sheffield United’s John Fleck, 30, collapsed on the pitch at Reading and Adama Traore 25, went down clutching his chest while playing in the Champions League for Sheriff Tiraspol against Real Madrid.

Icelandic midfielder Emil Palsson, 28, required resuscitation after a cardiac arrest in October.

In Athens, the match against Ermionida was abandoned following the traumatic incident.

Ilioupoli wrote on the club website: ‘Our Aleko, our friend, our brother, you left so unjustly.

‘The whole team, the whole city is mourning today.

‘The words do not come out… only an unbearable pain and a knot in the stomach. Have a good trip Alecara.’

Staff from both sides tried to revive Lampis, according to local reports.