Barnabas Varga's Hungary team-mate Milos Kerkez has reassured fans that the striker will "be alright", but the Hungarian Football Federation has insisted that it is likely that he will need to undergo surgery after his sickening collision in their Euro 2024 win over Scotland.
The winner-takes-all blockbuster match was marred when Varga concerningly went down inside the Scotland penalty area and his team-mates pleaded with the medical staff to rush onto the field.
Varga was knocked unconscious as the Hungarian team formed a wall around their team-mate, who was being attended to by physios, before being taken to hospital and is now in a stable condition.
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After defeating Scotland and keeping their Euro 2024 hopes intact, several Hungary players dedicated the win to Varga, including Bournemouth left-back Kerkez, who provided an update on his condition.
On Instagram, Kerkez wrote: “Proud of everyone and thankful for the support in the stadium and the country! Our brother will be alright because he is strong.”
The Hungarian Football Federation have since issued a statement to confirm that Varga suffered a concussion and several broken bones, and will likely need to undergo surgery.
The statement read: "Several bones in Barnabas Varga's face were broken during the collision during the match, and he also suffered a concussion. The Ferencvaros striker is most likely to undergo surgery. He spends the night in the hospital in Stuttgart. The whole team is rooting for him!"
Liverpool star and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai led complaints and urged the medical staff in Stuttgart to attend the scene quicker, with head coach Marco Rossi explaining that the physios appeared to be unaware of the seriousness of the situation at the time.
“What I heard from the players is that Barney looked unconscious," he said after the match. "Everybody was really worried about his condition and worried that the doctors arrived a bit late. Probably they didn’t realise it was a dangerous situation.
“We can say now that Barney is not under any kind of risk. Probably, he will be operated on in the coming hours because he suffered a fracture here [points to cheek], but he’s healthy. Of course, if we will go through the competition he will not be any more part of the team.”
Roland Sallai netted Hungary's 99th-minute winner, the latest goal in Euros history during regulation time, and dedicated the win to Varga as several players celebrated on the pitch with his jersey, knowing he was stable in hospital.
“It was a terrible moment to see him like that," Sallai recalled. "He’ll have to go through a minor operation, but we cross our fingers for him that he can return. Naturally, it was a terrible incident. Of course, we were fighting for him in the remaining minutes and this win is dedicated to him.”
