STUTTGART, Germany — Hungary forward Barnabas Varga is in stable condition in hospital after suffering serious injuries during the team’s final group game at the European Championships on Sunday.
Varga broke several bones in his face and will likely require surgery.
The 29-year-old also has a concussion and will miss the remainder of Euro 2024 if Hungary progresses to the last 16 as one of the top four teams in the top three places.
The Group A match against Scotland was suspended for around 10 minutes midway through the second half while Varga received treatment after a collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
As medical staff treated Varga, his teammates held up blankets to protect him and looked on with concern.
Fans from both teams erupted in applause as Varga was carried off on a stretcher.
“In a collision during the match, Barnabas Varga suffered several broken facial bones and a concussion,” the Hungarian Football Federation wrote on its Twitter account after the match.
“The Ferencváros striker is likely to undergo surgery. He will spend the night in hospital in Stuttgart. The whole team is rooting for him!”
Hungary won 1-0 thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time goal from substitute Kevin Csobos.
“It was awful. It was a terrible moment to see Barnabas like that,” Hungarian midfielder Roland Szalay said.
“Obviously I was fighting for him in the last 15-20 minutes and I wanted to win for him and I was very happy to achieve that and, yes, I dedicate this win to him.”
While Varga was being treated, no one in the stadium or watching on TV had any idea what was happening or the extent of his injuries, only that he was being treated by medical staff who had been frantically called onto the field by his teammates.
The scenes in Stuttgart were reminiscent of a more serious incident at the last European Championships, when Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest while playing in the team’s opening match against Finland and collapsed on the pitch at Copenhagen’s Parkenstadion.
