Virgil van Dijk has admitted it was “very scary” to witness Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai collapse during the Netherlands’ 4-0 Nations League victory over Hungary on Saturday in Amsterdam.
The match at the Johan Cruyff Arena was brought to a halt just seven minutes after kickoff due to a medical emergency involving Szalai on the Hungarian bench.
Play was suspended for more than 10 minutes as the 36-year-old coach received treatment, with players and staff using a large white sheet to shield him from view.
Adam Szalai was subsequently carried off the field on a stretcher and taken to the hospital, with the crowd applauding as he was escorted away.
Van Dijk, who captained the Dutch team, expressed his concern over the incident.
The moment was particularly poignant as his Liverpool teammate, Dominik Szoboszlai, who was playing for Hungary, was visibly distressed and moved to tears.
He told NOS : “It’s a shock of course. You see someone lying down. You see someone shaking.
“Then it’s a bit scary, to be honest. At one point it became clear that he was stable.
‘I asked (Liverpool team-mate Dominik) Szoboszlai if he had experienced this before.
“It turned out that he had. It was very scary to see, but I hope he is doing well and that he can recover well.
‘This is the most important thing now.”
A statement from the Hungarian Federation confirmed that Szalai was conscious.
They said: “Ádám Szalai fell ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious.
‘Minutes ago, he was transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.”
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