Van Dijk hails Hungary ´strength´ for playing on after coach collapse

Virgil van Dijk saluted Hungary for playing on after assistant coach Adam Szalai appeared to suffer a fit during their Nations League clash.

Play was suspended for 13 minutes at the Johan Cruijff ArenA while Szalai was treated pitchside, with staff and substitutes forming a protective barrier around him.

The 36-year-old was taken to Amsterdam Hospital, where he later revealed he was “doing well” on his social media channels.

Although Hungary agreed to play on, the Netherlands ran out comfortable 4-0 winners to book their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.

Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo were on target from the penalty spot during the first half, while goals from Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners after the break saw the Oranje secure second place in Group A3.

And Van Dijk paid tribute to his side’s opponents.

“That was quite a shock, of course,” he told NOS. “You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. That is quite scary. But thankfully, at a certain point, it became clear that he was stable. I hope he is doing well and that he recovers quickly.

“They had to decide whether they wanted to continue playing. I think it shows a lot of strength that they did carry on. I have a lot of respect for that.”

On his side’s performance, Van Dijk added: “The pitch was very fast, but that’s no excuse. It was sloppy.

“In the end, we won deservedly and that’s the most important thing. We go to the quarter-finals, we win, we keep a clean sheet.”

Respect, @MLSZhivatalospic.twitter.com/eea0ajjUo3

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) November 16, 2024