Hungary striker Barnabas Varga is steady in hospital after struggling a fractured cheekbone and being taken from the sector on a stretcher through the Euro 2024 recreation towards Scotland.
Varga, 29, challenged for an aerial ball with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn within the second-half as he tried to attach with Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick. Gunn punched the ball along with his proper arm and Varga’s head appeared to collide with the goalkeeper’s trailing left arm.
The sport was paused for six minutes whereas Varga obtained remedy on the sector, with sheets held up round him that continued to remain up as he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
The Hungarian soccer federation went on to verify that Varga had been instantly taken to a neighborhood hospital in Stuttgart the place his situation was described as steady.
Hungary coach Marco Rossi later confirmed the analysis of a fractured cheekbone, that he was briefly unconscious and that the ahead is about to bear an operation shortly.
“I don’t know what occurred,” Rossi stated. “All I might see was that he collided with the goalkeeper or one other opponent.
“It was a complicated state of affairs and that’s why the VAR checked for a penalty. However what the gamers have informed me was that Barni wasn’t acutely aware and so they had been very anxious about his situation.”
Screens had been erected round Varga (Miguel Medina/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
“Everybody was anxious as a result of the medical doctors arrived a bit late,” he added. “I don’t suppose they realised it was a harmful state of affairs. However Barni is just not in any hazard now.
“He fractured right here (pointing at his cheekbone) and goes to have an operation within the subsequent few hours. However he’s wholesome. An important factor is he’s wholesome.
“In fact, and for positive if we undergo the competitors he won’t be any extra part of the staff.”
An additional assertion from Hungary revealed that “a number of bones” had been damaged and that Varga could be spending the evening in hospital.
“A number of bones in Barnabas Varga’s face had been damaged through the collision through the match, and he additionally suffered a concussion,” they stated on X.
“The Ferencvaros striker is almost definitely to bear surgical procedure. He spends the evening within the hospital in Stuttgart. The entire staff is rooting for him.”
Varga’s team-mates plan to go to him in hospital on Monday morning.
Following the incident within the 68th minute of the sport, referee Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa instantly stopped play and medical workers entered the pitch to take care of each gamers.
Varga was put into the restoration place whereas his Hungary team-mates gestured for extra medical workers to come back onto the sector of play.
A stretcher was introduced on with a variety of visibly distressed Hungary gamers working to it to hurry up the tempo that it was delivered earlier than he was applauded off from all sections of the Stuttgart Enviornment.
Striker Martin Adam was introduced on as his substitute.
Varga Barnabás arcában több csont is eltört a mérkőzésen történt ütközés során továbbá agyrázkódást is szenvedett. Nagy valószínűséggel műtét vár a @Fradi_HU csatárára. Az éjszakát a kórházban tölti Stuttgartban. Az egész csapat szorít érte! #csakegyutt #magyarok #SCOHUN
— MLSZ (@MLSZhivatalos) June 23, 2024
The incident was checked for a possible penalty by the video assistant referee (VAR) Alejandro José Hernandez Hernandez however no penalty was awarded.
Captain Szoboszlai, the Liverpool midfielder, later devoted the victory to Varga whereas winger Roland Sallai stated the striker’s situation was “a very powerful factor”.
“It was a horrible second to see Barni like that however fortuitously he’s steady now,” Sallai stated. “I feel he’s most likely going to have a minor operation however he’s OK and we cross our fingers for him.”
Endre Botka, a team-mate of Varga at each worldwide degree and domestically at Ferencvaros, was near the incident.
“I used to be near Barni through the incident,” he stated. “It was stunning, however fortunately he’s positive.”
“It’s all a little bit of a blur,” Gunn stated when requested concerning the incident after the sport. “I assumed I needed to come and I did nicely. It was painful.
“Hopefully the man’s alright. I can’t actually bear in mind an excessive amount of about that one.”
Hungary gamers rushed to get the stretcher on to the sector (Marijan Murat/image alliance by way of Getty Photographs)
Varga spent the early a part of his skilled profession in Austria with SV Eberau, SV Mattersburg and SV Lafnitz. He moved to Gyirmot in his native Hungary in 2020 earlier than becoming a member of Paks in 2022.
After prime scoring with 26 objectives within the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnoksag I season he moved to Ferencvaros in June 2023. He has gone to make 40 appearances for Ferencvaros, scoring 29 objectives.
Varga has 14 caps for his nationwide staff having made his debut in March 2023, scoring seven objectives. He has began all three of Hungary’s video games at Euro 2024, scoring towards Switzerland within the opener.
Hungary beat Scotland 1-0 after Kevin Csoboth’s winner within the tenth minute of second half stoppage time. The staff celebrated the victory with Varga’s No. 19 shirt.
The consequence sees Hungary end third in Group A and Scotland backside. Hungary can nonetheless qualify for the final 16 as a greatest third-place staff relying on outcomes elsewhere.
Extra reporting: Jacob Whitehead
(High picture: Carl Recine/Getty Photographs)