Hungary coach Adam Szalai ‘stable’ after frightening collapse during game
The Nations League match against Netherlands in Amsterdam was delayed for 13 minutes as Szalai was rushed to hospital
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Your support makes all the difference.Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai said he was fine after collapsing and being rushed to hospital minutes after the start of his country’s Nations League tie against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
Posting on social media, the former Bundesliga striker thanked supporters for their messages of support and said he was fine.
Szalai, 36, collapsed on the bench seven minutes into the match at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
He could be seen lying on the ground next to the team’s bench with his legs twitching, as staff and substitutes quickly formed a protective barrier around him.
The match was delayed for 13 minutes and Szalai was taken by ambulance to hospital.
“Adam is conscious, can talk and all is in order,” coach Marco Rossi told the post match press conference.
“The referee asked us if we wanted to continue playing and my players said they did.”
Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai gathered his players in a discussion on the pitch before they agreed to go on.
Szalai is a former captain of the Hungarian team and was appointed assistant coach earlier this year. He scored 26 goals in 86 international appearances for Hungary and had a lengthy club career in Germany at Mainz, Schalke 04 and Hoffenheim.
The Dutch won the match 4-0 to book a place in next March’s Nations League quarter-finals but striker Wout Weghorst has come in for sharp criticism in his own country for zealously celebrating a penalty he netted - minutes after Szalai collapsed and was taken to hospital.
Immediately on resumption, a VAR decision gave the Dutch a penalty which Weghorst converted for a 1-0 lead.
The striker ran towards the corner flag, sliding to his knees, making a lion gesture with his hands and clenching his fist towards the Dutch fans.
But the celebration did not sit well with many in the Netherlands and he was castigated on Dutch television, in newspaper columns and on social media.
“A bit of subdued cheering would have been appropriate.,” said television pundit and former international Pierre van Hooijdonk.
Weghorst was initially unaware of any wrongdoing. “I never thought for a moment that this could come across as unpleasant,” he told reporters after the 4-0 victory.
“In retrospect, you think, ‘would it have been more respectful to cheer less exuberantly?’ Let it be clear that his life is more important than my goal. I hope I don’t have to explain that to anyone.”
Weghorst emphasised that he knew Szalai’s condition was stable when he scored.
“Taking a penalty is normally exciting but I think this was one of my most difficult penalties ever,” he said. “When you score it, there is pure relief and release. That’s why I didn’t realise how I was cheering.”
Reuters
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