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Photo by Roy Lazet/Soccrates/Getty Images
The Netherlands and Hungary squared off in the UEFA Nations League.
Following the match between Uruguay and Colombia, Europe’s own UEFA Nations League hosted a match that featured Reds on opposite sides of the ball: Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, and Virgil Van Dijk for the Netherlands against Dominik Szoboszlai and Hungary.
This match is a great reflection of Liverpool’s depth in leadership, with the club being known as one chock-full of captains of their respective international teams: Mohamed Salah for Egypt, Wataru Endo for Japan, and Andy Robertson for Scotland to name a few. This specific tie featured both national teams being captained by Liverpool players: Virgil Van Dijk for the Oranje and Dominik Szoboszlai for the Magyars.
Unfortunately, unlike Uruguay-Colombia, this tie was an absolute route, with the Netherlands up 2-nil at the half on the strength of two penalties - the second of which was slotted home by Cody Gakpo. The final score saw the Oranje cruise past Hungary 4-nil. The win cements the Netherlands place in the knock-outs while simultaneously ensuring that Hungary won’t progress out of the group.
It was a difficult situation for Szobo who also had to endure another situation where a member of his team faced a medical scare. If you’ll remember, during the Euros Barnabas Varga collided with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn, which requited medical attention. In this match, Hungary’s assistant coach Adam Szalai was treated for an undisclosed condition which prompted a stoppage of play while medical professionals attended to the staff member. Reports indicate that Szalai is alert and in stable condition.
Both teams wrap up their group-stage efforts on Tuesday with ties on opposite ends of the group table: Dom and Hungary take on group leaders Germany and the Dutch take on last-place Bosnia and Herzegovina.
