A medical emergency overshadows the football match between the Netherlands and Hungary. A Hungarian coach collapses on the sidelines. It is former Bundesliga professional Adam Szalai. Paramedics rush to him immediately. Then there is the all-clear.
There was a medical emergency in the early stages of the Nations League game between the Netherlands and Hungary (4-0). After a few minutes, a Hungarian supervisor collapsed on the sidelines. The football game in the Johan Cruyff Arena was immediately stopped on Saturday evening and paramedics rushed to the team’s coaching zone. Players and supervisors initially formed a human privacy screen together.
It was said on Hungarian television that the person who died in the accident was former Bundesliga professional Adam Szalai. The Hungarian association has now confirmed this. The 36-year-old Szalai played for, among others, TSG Hoffenheim, 1. FSV Mainz 05, Hannover 96 and FC Schalke 04. He has been part of the coaching team since last October, assisting head coach Marco Rossi as athletics coach.
When the paramedics brought the team member inside the stadium after just over twelve minutes, there was a burst of applause. The game resumed shortly afterwards with a penalty kick according to video evidence for the Dutch.
Striker Wout Weghorst made it 1-0, but the celebration was muted given the previous circumstances. Various media later reported that the injured person was stable and on the way to the hospital.
The Hungarian association wrote around 9:30 p.m.: “Adam Szalai became unwell in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary game, but his condition is stable and he is conscious. A few minutes ago he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Amsterdam for examination.”
Before half-time, Cody Gakpo added a penalty (45.+12). While the Hungarians had good opportunities at the start of the game, they seemed clearly inhibited after the break. Denzel Dumfries (64th) and Teun Koopmeiners (86th) scored the further goals for the now highly superior Dutch team. With the win, the team qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League. However, the sport had long since faded into the background due to the fears about Szalai.
jm/dpa
