Hungary striker Barnabas Varga is stable in hospital after being taken from the field on a stretcher during the Euro 2024 game against Scotland.
Varga, 29, challenged for an aerial ball with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn in the second-half as he attempted to connect with Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick. Gunn punched the ball with his right arm and Varga’s head appeared to collide with the goalkeeper’s trailing left arm.
The game was paused for six minutes while Varga received treatment on the field with screens erected surrounding him before he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher with sheets continuing to be held up.
The Hungarian football federation went on to confirm that Varga had been immediately taken to a local hospital in Stuttgart where his condition was described as stable.
Screens were erected around Varga (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
Following the incident in the 68th minute of the game, referee Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa immediately stopped play and medical staff entered the pitch to attend to both players. Varga was put into the recovery position while his Hungary teammates gestured for more medical staff to come onto the field of play.
A stretcher was brought on with a number of visibly distressed Hungary players running to it to speed up the pace that it was delivered before he was applauded off from all sections of the MHPArena in Stuttgart.
Striker Martin Adam was brought on as his replacement.
The incident was checked for a potential penalty by the video assistant referee (VAR) Alejandro José Hernandez Hernandez but no penalty was awarded.
Hungary players rushed to get the stretcher on to the field (Marijan Murat/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Varga spent the early part of his professional career in Austria with SV Eberau, SV Mattersburg and SV Lafnitz. He moved to Gyirmot in his native Hungary in 2020 before joining Paks in 2022.
After top scoring with 26 goals in 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 goals.
Varga has 13 caps for his national team having made his debut in March 2023, scoring seven goals. He has started all three of Hungary’s games at Euro 2024 scoring against Switzerland in the opener.
Hungary beat Scotland 1-0 after Kevin Csoboth’s winner in the 10th minute of second half stoppage time. The team celebrated the victory with Varga’s No. 19 shirt.
The result sees Hungary finish third in Group A and Scotland bottom. Hungary can still qualify for the last 16 as a best third-place team depending on results elsewhere.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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