Szoboszlai reportedly sparked Ukraine-Hungary confrontation
Dominik Szoboszlai appears to have played a key role in triggering the late confrontation between Hungary and Ukraine, with footage seemingly showing the Liverpool midfielder pushing Viktor Tsyhankov before quickly walking away.
The incident occurred during stoppage time of Hungary’s 1-0 defeat to Ukraine at the Puskás Aréna. Ukraine had just been reduced to 10 men after Oleksandr Nazarenko received a second yellow card in the 92nd minute.
With Hungary pushing for an equaliser and now enjoying a numerical advantage, tensions suddenly boiled over.
While the referee and several players were still dealing with the sending-off, Szoboszlai approached Tsyhankov and appeared to push the Ukrainian winger. He then turned away and moved towards the ball after Tsyhankov had kicked it away while play remained stopped.
Tsyhankov subsequently confronted Szoboszlai, with Milos Kerkez becoming involved before Ukraine defender Mykola Matviyenko joined the confrontation. Within seconds, players from both sides were caught up in a heated exchange.
Images from the match also showed Szoboszlai and Kerkez confronting Tsyhankov and Matviyenko.
Szoboszlai, Kerkez and Tsyhankov were all shown yellow cards, while Matviyenko was also booked.
The confrontation came at a costly moment for Hungary, who were desperately searching for a goal. The stoppage interrupted the momentum of the home side as they attempted to take advantage of Ukraine’s numerical disadvantage.
Hungary had controlled much of the second half, recording 57% possession and 17 shots compared with Ukraine’s 10.
Szoboszlai later played down the incident, suggesting that confrontations like this can happen in football. He also indicated that Hungary were prepared to compete physically regardless of their opponents.
The incident has since attracted attention because footage appears to show Szoboszlai’s push on Tsyhankov occurring before the wider confrontation involving players from both teams.
