LIVERPOOL ECHO
Virgil van Dijk admits it was “very scary” to see Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai collapse during Holland’s 4-0 UEFA Nations League win on Saturday. The game in Amsterdam was halted after only seven minutes due to a medical emergency on the Hungary bench involving Szalai.
The match was suspended for more than 10 minutes as the 36-year-old underwent treatment shielded from view by players, staff members and a large white sheet, and was later afforded applause from the crowd as he departed the stadium on a stretcher before being taken to hospital.
A statement from the Hungarian Football Association later said Szalai’s condition was “stable and he is conscious” with the former player, who made 86 appearances for his country before retiring last year, remaining in Amsterdam hospital for observation.
“It’s a shock of course,” said Holland and Liverpool skipper Van Dijk, speaking to Holland news outlet NOS after the game. “You see someone lying down. You see someone shaking. Then it’s a bit scary, to be honest.
“At one point it became clear that he was stable. I asked (Liverpool team-mate Dominik) Szoboszlai if he had experienced this before. It turned out that he had. It was very scary to see, but I hope he is doing well and that he can recover well. This is the most important thing now.”
Szoboszlai was captain of the Hungary team at Euro 2024 when, in their final group game against Scotland, Hungary striker Barnabas Varga – who started against Holland on Saturday – had a seizure on the pitch after a heavy collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
The Liverpool midfielder was in tears after the collapse of Szalai, and later said to Hungary news channel M4 Sport: “It was difficult. We started well, but we lost our minds a little because of what happened.
“I don’t wish this on anyone, the same thing happened to me in the case of Barnabas Varga. I just looked to the bench and watched the whole thing. I can accept that what happened was in his head. We had a discussion, everyone said let’s continue for Adam, nothing else. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough now.”
During the match, Cody Gakpo continued his impressive form by having a hand in two goals and also scoring a penalty as Holland sealed their place in next March’s UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
