Hungary coach ‘stable’ after falling ill vs. Dutch
Credit to Author: ESPN News Services| Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2024 00:01:45 EST
Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai was in “stable” condition after he was evacuated from the Nations League game against the Netherlands, the Hungarian Football Federation said on Saturday.
The game at the Johan Cruyff Stadium was halted after seven minutes when Szalai suffered what looked to be a seizure on the bench.
His legs could be seen kicking as he lay on the ground, quickly surrounded by staff members and substitutes.
It led to a 13-minute stoppage while he was being treated and it was only after a discussion among the players on the field that the Hungary team agreed to play on.
The federation said in a statement on X that Szalai “is stable and he is conscious” after being taken to an Amsterdam hospital by ambulance.
“That was quite a shock of course,” Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk told Dutch NOS television.
“You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. That is quite scary. But thankfully at a certain point it became clear that he was stable.”
Van Dijk heard from Liverpool teammate Dominik Szoboszlai, who captained Hungary, that Szalai had suffered a similar incident previously.
“But yes, it is still very scary to see. I hope he is doing well and that he recovers quickly.”
Van Dijk said it must have been difficult for Hungary to continue playing. Szoboszlai gathered his teammates in a huddle on the pitch before they agreed to carry on with clash.
“They had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing. I think it shows a lot of strength that they did carry on. I have a lot of respect for that.”
The Netherlands went onto register a 4-0 victory and make sure of a place in next March’s UEFA Nations League quarterfinals.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.