Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk commends Hungary for their sportsmanship after coach falls ill

Amsterdam - Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk praised the sportsmanship shown by Hungary in their Nations League clash on November 16. Despite a scary moment when Hungary's assistant coach Adam Szalai appeared to suffer a fit on the bench shortly after kick-off, the team chose to continue playing rather than abandon the match. Van Dijk commended their decision, highlighting their professionalism and dedication to the game.

There was a 13-minute medical delay as Szalai was treated pitchside before being taken to an Amsterdam hospital. The Hungarian federation said afterwards that he was recovering.

He could be seen lying on the floor, next to the team’s bench, with his legs twitching and kicking uncontrollably as staff and substitutes quickly formed a protective barrier around him.

“That was quite a shock of course,” 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.”

He heard from his 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 added.

The defender also said it must have been difficult for Hungary to continue playing, as 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,” he said.

The Netherlands went on to register a 4-0 victory and make sure of a place in next March’s Nations League quarter-finals. But van Dijk thought his side’s performance was “sloppy” overall.

“The pitch was very fast,” he explained.

“But that’s no excuse. It was sloppy. In the end we won deservedly and that’s the most important thing. We go to the quarter-finals, we win, we keep a clean sheet.”

Both teams had gone into the match tied on five points each and with the winners set to join Germany in ensuring their progress from Group A3 to the quarter-finals.

First-half penalties by Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo sent the Oranje on their way, before Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners made the game safe in the second period.

Hungary’s Denes Dibusz was the busier of the two goalkeepers as the first period wore on and had to be alert to keep out efforts from Tijjani Reijnders and Donyell Malen.

Weghorst scored a 21st-minute penalty and in the 11th minute of added time, Dutch dominance finally told and Malen was clipped by Zsolt Nagy in the box.

Gakpo dispatched the resulting spot kick, sending Dibusz the wrong way and Netherlands into a two-goal lead.

Right-back Dumfries sealed the Netherlands’ spot in the quarters as he latched onto Malen’s flick-on at the back post and fizzed a volley back into the far corner shortly after the hour.

Koopmeiners marked his first international match since 2022 by nodding in a fourth in the 86th minute.

“It was a scare of course,” Gakpo told NOS regarding the Szalai incident.

“Fortunately, I just heard he regained consciousness on the pitch. Things like this are more important than football.”

Hungary’s football federation gave an update after the match, saying: “Adam Szalai fell ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious.

“He was transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.”

Their coach Marco Rossi added: “Adam is no longer in danger, we wish him the best. The players decided to continue, after the penalty it became more difficult for us.” , AFP