Dominik Szoboszlai walked into a wall of noise at Windsor Park on Sunday, and it never let up. The Dominik Szoboszlai Belfast boos rang out from kick off to full time as Hungary and Northern Ireland played out a goalless draw in their Nations League fixture.
According to a report in The Irish News, home supporters singled out Szoboszlai and his Liverpool teammate Milos Kerkez purely because of their club ties. Kerkez took the early treatment at left back, and the jeers only grew louder once Szoboszlai got involved.
It made for an uncomfortable night for the Hungary captain. There was no shortage of noise, but there was little for the away side to enjoy on the pitch in a match that offered neither team a way through.
Belfast Media Tag Liverpool Star as Szoboszlai Drops Deep
The Irish News highlighted how much Northern Ireland dominated for long periods. That pressure forced Szoboszlai into unfamiliar positions.
The outlet described the scene:
“Some traditions are worth preserving, even I’ll admit. One of those is the relentless booing of Liverpool players, even before they do anything wrong. Left-back Milos Kerkez got some early ‘treatment’, as Paddy Kelly put in an excellent first half on the NI right. Such was the hosts’ superiority that when skipper Szoboszlai tried to get his Hungary team going, he had to drop back to the edge of his own box to receive the ball. He was more successful at riling the home support, with a series of complaints to the referee, so when the Anfield star went to take a corner at this Kop end, the boos were deafening. Shea Charles took ball and man, that man being Szoboszlai, in a challenge midway through the second half. Szoboszlai leapt to his feet and waved his arms, almost ‘geeing’ up the gleeful home support, rather than the very vocal travelling contingent who were in the corner on that North Stand side.”
The Irish News also labelled Szoboszlai ‘big bad Dom’. The nickname reflected the mood inside the stadium. The Liverpool midfielder had clearly become a target for the home support.
The outlet used the nickname again when another chance came his way:
“From the other flank, ‘big bad Dom’ floated a cross-shot just high and wide of the angle of post and crossbar.”
The challenge from Charles summed up Szoboszlai’s frustration. His reaction only encouraged the home crowd to turn up the volume.
Three Goals in Seven Matches Highlights Contrast in Hungary Duty
The Belfast reception sits at odds with how well Szoboszlai has started the season at Anfield. He has scored three goals in seven games for Liverpool so far this season. A return that reflects the freedom he has been given to push forward from midfield.
We have covered Iraola’s tactical setup in detail this season, and it is easy to see why Szoboszlai has thrived in it. Given room to break beyond a striker and arrive late in the box. He has become a genuine goal threat rather than a purely defensive presence.
Hungary have not enjoyed anything like the same momentum. They arrived in Belfast on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in their previous Nations League fixture. The goalless draw did little to change the mood around the national team. It made Szoboszlai’s isolated, deep-lying role in Belfast feel like a step back from the freedom he gets at club level.
Szoboszlai himself has been vocal about standards this season, and his call for high standards at Liverpool stands in contrast to a night spent chasing shadows for his country.
Michael O’Neill Hits Out at Antics as Szoboszlai Focuses on Liverpool Return
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill criticised the conduct of several Hungarian players once the final whistle went, unhappy with what he felt was unnecessary theatre from the visitors. Speaking to reporters after the match, O’Neill did not hold back:
“I was disappointed with some of the Hungarian players’ behaviour on the pitch. Holding their faces and screaming. Really, there was no need for that. It was an honest, competitive game. We didn’t need the nature of the simulation or the antics. We want that away and out of the game. That’s why the referee has to speed the game up.”
According to Michael O’Neill, the game itself had been fair and hard fought. That made the play-acting he witnessed all the more frustrating for a home crowd already invested in giving Szoboszlai a hard time.
For Szoboszlai, the international break now gives way to club duty again. He was pictured arriving for Hungary duty full of confidence after his bright start to the season. After a bruising trip to Belfast, he will be glad to swap the Nations League for the Premier League.
Liverpool fans will hope the Dominik Szoboszlai Belfast boos are quickly forgotten once he is back among friendly faces at Anfield. He has quickly become one of the club’s most important attacking outlets this season. A full report by The Irish News covers the match in greater depth.
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