Hungary coach breaks silence from hospital after collapsing in Netherlands clash

Hungarian coach Adam Szalai – who collapsed during the Nations League match against the Netherlands on Saturday – has given a positive update from the hospital.

The match in Amsterdam, which resulted in a 4-0 victory for the Dutch team, was stopped for more than ten minutes after the medical emergency.

Referee Jesus Gil Manzano called for a stoppage of play after coach Szalai collapsed, with witnesses suggesting he may also have suffered a seizure.

A medical tent was set up around Szalai while treatment was provided, before the 36-year-old was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Players and staff from both teams appeared shocked, especially Liverpool midfielder and Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai, who was seen in tears.

Szalai has since provided a positive update from hospital to the relief of everyone in world football.

Translated from his native language, the former Bundesliga striker posted on Facebook: “Thanks for the many messages, I'm doing well.”

He signed his post with a love heart emoji, which racked up more than 27,000 likes at the time of writing.

After the match restarted on Saturday, the Hungarian FA issued a statement via social media.

The statement read: 'Adam Szalai fell ill in the first minutes of the Netherlands-Hungary match, but his condition is stable and he is conscious.

'A few minutes ago he was transported by ambulance to an Amsterdam hospital for examination.'

The Netherlands took a 1-0 lead almost immediately after the restart when former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst converted a penalty.

His celebrations after scoring the goal have been criticized by the Dutch media, with former Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart admitting it 'turned his stomach'.

Former striker Szalai, 36, scored 26 goals in 86 senior games for Hungary between 2009 and 2022.

He retired from playing in July after a career that saw him represent Basel, Mainz, Hannover, Hoffenheim and Schalke, as well as the reserve sides of Stuttgart and Real Madrid.

After his retirement, Szalai has been part of Hungary's coaching staff since October.

In the first match after being appointed to the role, Hungary held the Netherlands to a 1–1 draw in Budapest.

However, Hungary's hopes for a new positive result against the Dutch team suffered a major blow just before half-time on Saturday when the country was awarded a second penalty.

It was converted by Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo to make it 2–0 to the home side.

Denzel Dumfries then ended any hopes of a Hungary comeback when he scored the third goal of the match midway through the second half.

Teun Koopmeiners completed the scoring late on and secured a 4-0 victory.

Hungary hosts group winner Germany on Tuesday, while the Netherlands travels to Zenica to face Bosnia and Herzegovina.