Barnabas Varga, a striker for Hungary, was brought to the hospital following a terrible incident that left him unconscious during his team’s crucial Euro 2024 match in Stuttgart against Scotland.
Barnabas Varga was taken off on a stretcher after the injury (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Milos Kerkez, the defender for Hungary, is adamant that Barnabas Varga will be “all right” despite being hospitalised following a horrific accident during Euro 2024.
In the second half of Hungary’s thrilling 1-0 victory over Scotland in Stuttgart on Sunday, Varga had to be helped off the pitch. As he attempted to punch the ball away, Hungary’s goalscorer struck Scotland’s Angus Gunn and was rendered unconscious.
The players surrounded Varga with a protective wall before sheets were pulled aside to give the medical staff private time to tend to him. Following a protracted interval during which Hungary’s captain Dominik Szoboszlai and the medical staff played a pivotal part, Kevin Csoboth scored the game’s winning goal on a counterattack in the hundredth minute, eliminating Scotland from the competition.
The players from Hungary dedicated the heartfelt victory to Varga, who was by that point in stable condition after being sent to a hospital in Stuttgart for treatment. Left-back Kerkez of Bournemouth posted a message on Instagram that read, “Thank you for the support across the nation and in the stadium! I’m proud of everyone!” Because our brother is strong, everything will be OK.
“It was a terrible moment to see him like that,” said Roland Sallai, the game’s man of the match. We’re hoping he can make a full recovery from the small surgery he needs to have. It was a horrible incident, of course. Naturally, in the final minutes, we battled for him, and this victory is devoted to him.
Despite their obvious disappointment over their teammate’s injury, Hungary’s players rallied to win their first point in Euro 2024 and increase their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages as one of the top third-placed teams. Varga was mentioned by manager Marco Rossi at his press conference following the game.
“The players told me that Barney appeared to be unconscious,” he remarked. “Everyone was quite concerned about his health and the fact that the physicians were running a little behind schedule. Most likely, they were unaware of how hazardous the scenario was.
Dominik Szoboszlai wore Barnabas Varga’s shirt after the win ( Image: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
“At this point, we can declare that Barney is not in danger. He probably will have surgery in the next several hours due to a fracture here [to cheek], but otherwise he appears to be in good health. Naturally, he will no longer be a member of the team if we proceed through the competition.
The Hungary FA released the following statement soon after the game: “Barnabss Varga’s condition is steady! The Ferencvaros player is presently being treated in a Stuttgart hospital! Whenever there is any update on its status, we will let you know right away!”
