A former Manchester United striker has been called out for celebrating as if he had scored 'the winning goal in a World Cup final' moments after one of Hungary's coaches collapsed on the touchline.
The UEFA Nations League match between the Netherlands and Hungary in Amsterdam was suspended for 12 minutes when Hungarian coach Adam Szalai collapsed, with those on the sidelines suspecting an attack.
A medical tent was set up to treat Szalai in distressing scenes and although it was painful for the players, Hungary, led by Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai, opted to play on.
The controversy arose almost immediately when the Netherlands won a penalty to give themselves a 1-0 lead.
Former Man United striker Wout Weghorst stepped up and scored before rushing to celebrate, a decision that saw him widely panned by pundits.
“We get a penalty and it is a very difficult situation,” said NOS expert Rafael van der Vaart. 'When you score and celebrate like Wout Weghorst did, my stomach turns.'
Van der Vaart continued: 'You also see that the other players follow him and think: @oh, let's just follow him.' [more restrained].
“Those guys (Hungary's players) started talking and eventually they decided to continue playing. That's commendable, because you work very closely together. You don't know exactly what will happen.”
'And then we continue playing, we get a penalty… We score, and then you cheer as if you scored the winning goal in the World Cup final!'
Dutch boss Ronald Koeman came to defend his striker and emphasized that his striker should be happy when he scores the go-ahead goal.
“He will be happy that he scored the penalty,” Koeman said. “It's easy to say that you shouldn't celebrate so much if they decide to continue with the game.”
After the Netherlands' 4-0 victory, Weghorst criticized his celebration in the mixed zone.
'I haven't thought about that [incident] for a second,” he said.
'The match continued and I was tense at that moment. During the break I asked him how he was doing, and after the match we changed shirts in the Hungarians' dressing room.
'In retrospect, I understand the negative reactions, but for me it was just a relief.'
Weghorst's goal put the Netherlands on the way to victory, with Cody Gakpo, Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners also on the scoresheet.
That result means that the Netherlands comes second in League A Group 3, ahead of Hungary in third place.
But both teams still have one match left.
Hungary hosts group winner Germany on Tuesday, while the Netherlands travels to Zenica to face Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Comments