Dominik Szoboszlai played a crucial role in aiding his injured Hungary teammate Barnabas Varga following a collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
Varga was struck in the face by Gunn’s arm while challenging for the ball after a Szoboszlai free-kick midway through the second half. The Ferencvaros forward appeared to suffer a severe reaction to the impact and lay motionless on the field. Prompting urgent calls for medical assistance from Hungary’s players.
Medical personnel eventually arrived with a stretcher, but the delay in their response angered Hungary’s players. Captain Szoboszlai intervened by pulling the stretcher towards Varga to expedite the process. Szoboszlai was visibly emotional as screens were erected around Varga for privacy during treatment, and he appeared to-be in tears.
Hungary’s coach, Marco Rossi, later confirmed that Varga had suffered facial fractures and a concussion but was otherwise in stable condition. Rossi expressed frustration at the slow response of the medical staff, stating. “What I heard from the players is that Barney looked unconscious. Everybody was really worried about his condition, and worried that the doctors arrived a bit late. Probably they didn’t realize it was a dangerous situation.
Rossi added, “We can say now that Barney is not under any kind of risks. Probably he will be operated on in the coming hours because he suffered a fracture here [points to cheek], but he’s healthy. Of course, if we go through the competition, he will not be part of the team anymore.”
Ronald Sallai, who was named Man of the Match for assisting Kevin Csoboth’s 100th-minute winner that eliminated Scotland and kept Hungary’s qualification hopes alive, spoke about the incident. “It was a terrible moment to see him like that,” Sallai said. “He’ll have to go through a minor operation, but we cross our fingers for him that he can return. Naturally, it was a terrible incident. Of course, we were fighting for him in the remaining minutes, and this win is dedicated to him.”
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