Weghorst, harshly criticized how he celebrated his goal after Szalai’s scare

The Netherlands-Hungary on Saturday at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam started with a big scare since, about seven minutes into the game, Adam Szalai member of the coaching staff of the Hungarian national team Marco Rossi, He passed out on the bench and had to be treated there before being transferred to a hospital in Amsterdam.

The match was delayed for 13 minutes but before the ball was put back into play, the Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano He went to VAR to point the penalty at the hand of the Hungarian defender Tamas Nikitscher in the play before the medical emergency.

A controversial festival

Wout Weghorst He converted the ultimate penalty and enthusiastically celebrated the goal that opened the scoring for the Netherlands. The Ajax striker ran towards the corner flag, knelt down, made a lion gesture with his hands and pumped his fist towards the Dutch fans.

A celebration that did not go well in his home country and led to harsh criticism on Dutch television, newspaper columns and on social networks. “A little modest joy would have been appropriate,” says, for example, today’s commentator Pierre van Hooijdonk. The former international also expressed himself on the same lines. Rafael van der Vaart: “It gave me a stomach ache.”

At first Weghorst He didn’t know he had done anything uncomfortable. “I didn’t think for a moment that it seemed unpleasant,” he told the media after the 4-0 victory that qualified the Netherlands for the quarterfinals of the Nations League.

“Looking back, you think, ‘Would it have been more polite to shout less enthusiastically?’ Let it be clear that his life is more important than my goal. I hope I don’t have to explain that to anyone,” stressed Weghorst, who also reasoned when he dialed he knew that Szalai’s condition was stable.

“Getting a penalty is usually exciting, but I think it was one of the hardest penalties I’ve ever received,” he admitted. “When you look at it, it’s all relief and release. “That’s why I didn’t realize how I celebrated.”

Van Dijk defended him

Virgil van Dijk, captain of the ‘Oranje’ team, He defended his partner. “I didn’t think the celebration was exaggerated,” said the Liverpool centre-back. “Hungary decided to continue playing. Then the game continued. People don’t like it when you’re happy… well, you can’t make everyone happy.”

In any case Van Dijk praised Hungary for its decision to continue playing despite the impact caused by Szalai’s passing out on the bench. “It’s a big shock, of course,” the captain of ‘Oranje’ told Dutch television NOS. “You see someone lying down, you see someone shaking. It’s a little scary. But fortunately the point came when he was clearly stable.”

Van Dijk admitted it was difficult for Hungary to continue playing. Captain Dominik Szoboszlai He gathered his teammates on the field before they agreed to continue.

“They have to decide if they want to continue playing. I think they showed a lot of strength in doing so. I have a lot of respect for that,” said the Dutch center back, who also revealed that he heard Szoboszlai, his teammate at Liverpool, Szalai suffered a similar incident before. “But yes, it’s still very scary to see him. I hope he’s okay and recovers soon,” he concluded.

Szalai, former youth player at Real Madrid, He suffered a head operation two years ago from which he recovered, although shortly after, in January 2023, he announced his retirement from football at the age of 35 when he was playing for the Swiss club Basel.