HUNGARY’s match against the Netherlands was halted following a medical emergency that left their captain in tears.
Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai was seen getting emotional on the pitch following the incident on the Hungarian touchline.
Medics rushed to the aid of coach and former striker Adam Szalai, who Szoboszlai replaced as the national team captain when he retired from playing two years ago.
The Liverpool ace appeared to be in tears, rubbing his eyes with his shirt.
The distressing scenes caused a hushed silence in the crowd as Hungarian staff locked arms to protect the person’s privacy.
A Hungary statement read: “Adam Szalai fell ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious.
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“Minutes ago, he was transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.”
The match continued some 10 minutes later, with Holland soon rubbing salt into the wounds by scoring from the penalty spot following a VAR decision.
Former Man Utd striker Wout Weghorst netted from 12-yards to give the hosts the lead.
The Netherlands would score another penalty through Cody Gakpo in the 12th minute of first half injury time to go into the break with a commanding lead.
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Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners then added goals in the second half to wrap up a 4-0 win for the Dutch.
However, it would have been understandable if the Hungary team were not fully focused on the football given the circumstances.
After the match, Hungary manager Marco Rossi gave a further update on Szalai.
He said: “Adam is no longer in danger, we wish him the best.
“The players decided to continue. After the penalty our situation became more difficult.”
Meanwhile Szoboszlai commented: “We started well, but I don’t wish anyone to go through what we had to.
“We continued to play for Adam, and what happened naturally affected our performance, which was not enough today.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
