Before EURO 2024 Germany kicked off, there was disagreement regarding a statement by Kylian Mbappe who said that the competition at EURO was more complicated than the World Cup.
This was proven by him himself, after Mbappe’s nose had to be operated on after facing Austria in the first match.Even in the Hungary versus Scotland match, Monday (24/6/2024) WIB there was another victim of the “complications” of the European Cup, named Barnabas Varga!
“The Euros are complicated. For me, more complicated than the World Cup. Although the pressure in the World Cup is greater. All the teams know each other, we always play against each other. Tactically, the football is very similar.” This is Mbappe’s complete statement via Bola.net, which sparked cynical comments from Lionel Messi.
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A comparison whose truth cannot be known, except for those who carry it out. Therefore, as a football fan, I can only look at the quality and tightness of the match as a benchmark. Based on EURO 2024 Germany which has started to hold its third matchday, I quite agree with Kylian Mbappe’s description.
The majority of EURO 2024 matches almost always feature tight matches until the last minute. Some of the matches that I remember are Portugal vs Czech, Netherlands vs France, and the final two Group A matches last night, between Germany vs Switzerland and Hungary vs Scotland.
The last match I mentioned, Hungary against Scotland, even had to be stopped for 10 minutes because Hungarian striker Barnabas Varga collapsed in the middle of the field.
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This reminds us of Kylian Mbappe’s bloody moment versus Austria and the moment of Christian Eriksen’s collapse at EURO 2020.
Praise be to God, Barnabas Varga has reportedly regained consciousness, and this morning (WIB) he is undergoing head surgery at a hospital in Stuttgart.
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Hungarian coach Marco Rossi stated that his condition was gradually stabilizing, and continued to ask for support for the 29 year old striker. In the match between Hungary and Scotland, these two countries need three points to still have a chance of qualifying for the round of 16. Scotland has a slight upper hand because they got one point after a draw against Switzerland, while Hungary still has zero points after always losing against Switzerland and Germany.
The horror moment occurred in the 70th minute when Hungary got a free kick on the right side of the Scottish defense. Captain Dominik Szoboszlai lifted the ball in front of the goal, which was immediately greeted by several players from both teams colliding. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn reacted by stepping forward to punch the ball, even hitting one of his teammates.
At that moment, Barnabas Varga intended to head the ball, but he was less quick than Gunn, then fell in an unnatural position on the grass. His head hit the ground first before the rest of his body.
Instantly players from both teams realized that Varga was unconscious, and the referee immediately called the medical team to check Varga’s condition.
All the players formed a circle while spreading the cloth, so that this premature handling was not immortalized by media cameras or supporters. However, it was clear from the faces of the players on both teams, especially Szoboszlai, that they showed panic and horror.
After ten minutes of treatment, the medical team finally brought a stretcher to immediately send Barnabas Varga to the local hospital. From the photos circulating, at this moment it appears that Varga was still unconscious.
The Hungarian national team stated that their main striker suffered a concussion and a fractured head. As already mentioned by coach Marco Rossi, Varga’s condition has regained consciousness, and hopefully he can recover quickly.
Get well soon, Benjamin Varga!
Reviewing Kylian Mbappe’s Hypothesis About EURO Is More Complicated
Returning to discussing Kylian Mbappe’s statement which sparked controversy regarding the more complicated EURO tournament compared to the World Cup. The moment EURO 2024 is presented a few weeks after the UEFA Champions League Final, there is still intense competition from players born in Europe.
Domestic competition also leaves several competitions until the end of the season, especially the English League. This is what supports Mbappe’s hypothesis, that the players in Europe’s top leagues still felt the feeling of tight competition last season. Even if they are teammates, each of them brings this internal rivalry to the international arena.
Meanwhile, at the World Cup, there will be certain moments where there will be a fight. For example, in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when strong Latin American and European teams were able to crush representatives of other zones with a landslide score. There were indeed surprises, such as when Argentina lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia, but it did not provide constant surprises until the end of the competition.
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