Emergency in Amsterdam

Netherlands v Hungary LIVE from 20:45

(Bild: AFP)

Terrible scenes during the 4:0 victory of European Championship semi-finalists the Netherlands against Hungary. A medical emergency on the visitors' bench halted the Nations League League A match for around ten minutes. Former striker Adam Szalai suddenly collapsed.

It was in the 7th minute when panic suddenly broke out on the Hungarian bench. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano immediately recognized the dicey situation and stopped the game. Players and supporters stood in front of the bench as a screen. There was an oppressive silence in the stadium, captain Dominik Szoboszlai turned away with a horrified look on his face. 

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Worries about Adam Szalai
After around ten minutes, an ambulance transported the victim to the catacombs to applause from the crowd. As the Hungarian FA later announced on X, it was Adam Szalai, the former Mainz, Hoffenheim and Schalke player who is now part of the Hungarian coaching team.

"His condition is stable and he is conscious. A few minutes ago he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Amsterdam for examination," the social media channel said.

Holland set for the quarter-finals
The game continued - and with a penalty for the Netherlands, which was awarded shortly before the incident. Wout Weghorst scored to make it 1:0. Cody Gakpo also scored a penalty to make it 2:0 in minute 58, shortly before the break, Denzel Dumfries (64) made it 3:0 and Teun Koopmeiners (86) made the final score a minor matter for the visiting team that evening.

For the Netherlands, however, the victory was a very important one, as it secured coach Ronald Koeman's team a place in the quarter-finals - behind group winners Germany, who were celebrating a 7-0 goal show against Bosnia at the same time.