Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk has confessed that witnessing Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai’s collapse was “very scary” during the Nations League clash.
Their clash was halted after just seven minutes when Szalai suffered a medical episode on the sidelines in Amsterdam, leading to the game being paused for over 10 minutes as he was treated on the pitch and shielded by staff with a big white sheet.
He eventually left the Johan Cruyff Arena on a stretcher, with fans applauding his exit. Van Dijk was shaken by the incident, which reduced his club mate and opponent for the day, Dominik Szoboszlai, to tears.
Speaking to NOS, Van Dijk said: “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.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The Hungarian federation released an update stating: “Ádám 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,” reports the Mirror.
The match took a heartfelt twist, but Wout Weghorst’s celebration has sparked backlash. The ex-Manchester United and Burnley ace netted shortly after Hungary’s assistant coach was rushed to hospital.
Weghorst didn’t hold back his joy as he slotted home the lead from the spot at 21 minutes. Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart, who was at the game as a TV pundit, slammed his fellow countryman: “Watching Weghorst celebrate made me sick to the stomach,” he blasted.
“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.”