Nach dem 1:0-Sieg gegen Schottland denken viel ungarische Fußball-Nationalspieler an ihren verletzten Teamkollegen Barnabas Varga. „Gute Besserung, Bruder!!!“, schrieb der Freiburger Abwehrspieler Attila Szalai in der Nacht auf Montag bei Instagram. Willi Orban von RB Leipzig schrieb auf derselben Plattform neben ein Foto der jubelnden Ungarn: „Bis zum Ende! Für unseren Kämpfer des Tages: @varga.barnabas_!“ Durch den Sieg im letzten Gruppenspiel haben die Ungarn noch die Chance, sich als Gruppendritte für das Achtelfinale der Europameisterschaft zu qualifizieren.
Der Erfolg in Stuttgart wurde aber überschattet von Vargas’ Unfall. Er war nach einer Freistoßflanke im Strafraum mit dem Kopf gegen den Oberarm des schottischen Torwarts Angus Gunn geprallt. Dabei erlitt er eine Gehirnerschütterung und mehrere Brüche im Gesicht. Zudem verlor der 23 Jahre alte Stürmer von Ferencvaros Budapest zwischenzeitlich das Bewusstsein. Dieses erlangte er wieder, als er in den Krankenwagen gebracht wurde, der ihn in eine Stuttgarter Klinik fuhr. Ungarns Verband hatte noch in der Nacht mitgeteilt, dass der Stürmer wahrscheinlich operiert werden müsse. Am Montag teilte das ungarische Team bei einer Pressekonferenz mit, dass Varga anschließend noch zwei Tage im Krankenhaus bleiben müsse. Wenn alles nach Plan laufe, könne Varga schon am Mittwoch wieder entlassen werden, hieß es.
Auch andere Nationalspieler wie etwa Leipzig-Torwart Peter Gulacsi oder Marton Dardai von Hertha BSC posteten in den sozialen Netzwerken Fotos von Varga oder von einer Szene nach dem Schlusspfiff, in der Siegtorschütze Kevin Csoboth ein Trikot seines Sturmkollegen in die Kamera hält. Auch Fußballer anderer Teams setzten Internet-Postings ab. Der französische Routinier Antoine Griezmann etwa schrieb auf der Plattform X „Varga“ und setzte daneben ein Herz-Smiley.
In the 10th minute of stoppage time in a thrilling final phase, Kevin Csoboth scored the 1-0 goal for Hungary. Varga had previously scored Hungary's only goal of the tournament in a 1-3 loss to Switzerland. The incident in the 68th minute pushed the sporting action into the background. “The most important thing is that Barni is feeling better, that's what we fought for in the last 20 minutes,” said Freiburg Bundesliga professional Roland Sallai after the match: “In the end we showed what kind of team we are, we never give up, that's our strength.”
Liverpool professional Dominik Szoboszlai also commented: “I was one of the first to get there. I was shocked. I tried to turn him onto his side. He wanted to get up, but somehow he couldn't breathe,” said the 23-year-old, who criticized UEFA's protocol and the slow response of the rescue services, on MagentaTV: “We have to do this faster.”
End of the Scottish European Championship party
For the Scots and their tireless fans, the European Championship party is over after the preliminary round. After the last matchday of Group A, the Scots have only one point and, unlike the Hungarians (3), can no longer hope to advance to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams.
The Hungarians, led by Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai, are in the waiting list. They disappointed for a long time in front of 54,000 spectators, but seized their last chance. “No Scotland, no party,” the Scots fans sang for a long time, but now coach Steve Clarke's players have to leave. The Scottish team had not made it past the group stage in the previous three European Championships. After the 1:5 opening defeat against hosts Germany, they played 1:1 against Switzerland. The Hungarians now have hopes of reaching the round of 16, as they did in 2016.
Draws were not allowed for the two teams that had not won up to that point. In front of their legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scots started wildly and immediately forced the Hungarians onto the defensive. They had high hopes for Scott McTominay of Manchester United, who had scored seven goals in eight qualifying matches.
But there was very little play on either side. The Argentinian referee Facundo Tello had his hands full to ensure that the passionate duels remained within reasonable limits. On the Hungarian side, the game initially passed the offensive star and captain Szoboszlai. The former Leipzig player was barely able to make an impact in the first half against the defensively depleted Scots.
Hungary's coach Marco Rossi once again relied on a lot of Bundesliga power with Péter Gulácsi in goal and his Leipzig colleague Willi Orbán, Márton Dárdai from Hertha BSC, András Schäfer from Union Berlin and Roland Sallai from Freiburg in the starting eleven. It was only after half an hour that the Hungarians launched promising attacks. A free kick from Szoboslai almost led to the 1-0 lead – but the onrushing Orbán headed the ball onto the crossbar.
After the defeats against Switzerland (1:3) and Germany (0:2), the Hungarians tried more and more desperately to remember their footballing abilities after the break. However, the match remained at a low level, even though the fans of both opponents made a hell of a noise. First, Szoboszlai missed a great chance to take the lead shortly before the end, then Csoboth hit the post in injury time – and finally brought relief to the Hungarian fans in Stuttgart.