Virgil van Dijk makes 'very scary' admission as Liverpool team-mate in tears after collapse

Virgil van Dijk makes 'very scary' admission as Liverpool team-mate in tears after collapse

Dominik Szoboszlai, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo were all playing when there was a medical emergency on the Hungary bench in Holland on Saturday evening

Dominik Szoboszlai of Hungary and Virgil van Dijk of Holland during the UEFA Nations league match in Amsterdam on November 16 2024 (Image: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images )

Virgil van Dijk admits it was "very scary" to see Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai collapse during Holland's 4-0 UEFA Nations League win on Saturday. The game in Amsterdam was halted after only seven minutes due to a medical emergency on the Hungary bench involving Szalai.

The match was suspended for more than 10 minutes as the 36-year-old underwent treatment shielded from view by players, staff members and a large white sheet, and was later afforded applause from the crowd as he departed the stadium on a stretcher before being taken to hospital.

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A statement from the Hungarian Football Association later said Szalai's condition was "stable and he is conscious" with the former player, who made 86 appearances for his country before retiring last year, remaining in Amsterdam hospital for observation.

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"It's a shock of course," said Holland and Liverpool skipper Van Dijk, speaking to Holland news outlet NOS after the game. "You see someone lying down. You see someone shaking. Then it's a bit scary, to be honest.

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"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."

Szoboszlai was captain of the Hungary team at Euro 2024 when, in their final group game against Scotland, Hungary striker Barnabas Varga - who started against Holland on Saturday - had a seizure on the pitch after a heavy collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

The Liverpool midfielder was in tears after the collapse of Szalai, and later said to Hungary news channel M4 Sport: "It was difficult. We started well, but we lost our minds a little because of what happened.

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"I don't wish this on anyone, the same thing happened to me in the case of Barnabas Varga. I just looked to the bench and watched the whole thing. I can accept that what happened was in his head. We had a discussion, everyone said let's continue for Adam, nothing else. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough now."

During the match, Cody Gakpo continued his impressive form by having a hand in two goals and also scoring a penalty as Holland sealed their place in next March's UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.

"The Hungarian players had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing," said Van Dijk. "I think it shows a lot of strength that they wanted to continue. A lot of respect for that.

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"We knew that it would be a difficult match, that the Hungarian team would close down and play on the counter, we also expected that our defence and our attention should be maintained to the maximum."

Elsewhere, Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas - on loan at Championship side Stoke City this season - came off the bench for the closing moments as ex-Reds striker Craig Bellamy continued his unbeaten start as Wales boss with a goalless UEFA Nations League draw in Turkiye. Wales stand in second place in their group and finish with a home game against Iceland on Tuesday.

Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni made his England U19 debut as a late substitute to help them reach the elite round of Euro 2025 qualifying with a 2-1 win over Bulgaria. In the same competition, Trent Kone-Doherty stepped off the bench to assist the final goal as the Republic of Ireland beat Azerbaijan 4-0.

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