Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has confessed it was “very scary” witnessing Hungary’s assistant coach Adam Szalai collapse, bringing the Netherlands’ 4-0 Nations League victory on Saturday in Amsterdam to an abrupt halt.
The game was stopped in the seventh minute when the Hungarian bench faced a medical crisis as 36-year-old Szalai fell ill.
Play was paused for upwards of 10 minutes while Szalai received urgent care, with anxious players and staff shielded by a large white sheet.
Emergency services attended to Szalai before he was stretchered out of the Johan Cruyff Arena to the sound of supportive applause from the crowd.
Skipper Van Dijk was impacted by the event especially with Liverpool compatriot Dominik Szoboszlai badly affected and in tears and told NOS: “It’s a shock of course. 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.”
The Hungarian federation provided reassurance on Szalai’s well-being in their statement: “Adam Szalai fell ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious.
“Minutes ago, he was transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.”
The match took a poignant twist, yet Wout Weghorst’s goal celebration has sparked controversy.
The ex-Manchester United and Burnley forward netted shortly after Hungary’s assistant coach was rushed to hospital.
Weghorst didn’t hold back his joy as he put the home team in front from the spot at 21 minutes. Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart, who was present as a TV pundit, slammed his fellow countryman’s actions.
“Watching Weghorst celebrate made me sick to the stomach,” he declared. “He should have realised that Hungary’s players were actually entitled to abandon the match and go to the dressing room.
“Instead they had a meeting on the pitch and decided to resume playing. That deserves massive respect because none of those players knew what the situation was at that moment.”
