Frogmarched: Socceroos defender tells of World Cup nightmare against France’s $200m man
Nathaniel Atkinson has vowed not to be haunted by his World Cup dream which turned into a nightmare.
Despite scoring an early goal the Socceroos were outclassed by reigning world champions France in their opening match of the World Cup in Qatar.. Photo: Pedro Martins/AGIF/Sipa USA
The 23-year-old right-back, in his sixth game for the Socceroos, was pitted against French marvel Kylian Mbappe in Wednesday’s Group D clash.
“It’s an eye-opener,” Atkinson told reporters after being torched by the flashy Frenchman.
“And there’s a reason why he’s earning $200 million a year and I am where I am.”
Atkinson, valued at around $1m, joined Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian from A-Leaguers Melbourne City this year.
And he admits he has joined a long list of players around the globe to be exposed by Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe.
Atkinson coughed up possession with a leaden touch which led to France’s second goal in their 4-1 rout of the Socceroos.
“I have played that scenario 50 times over and I could probably come up with 50 different solutions,” he said.
“But that’s football. I am disappointed. I take full responsibility for the second goal.
“And it’s time to move on from that, because I have got a game in three days to fix it.”
Mbappe scored one goal, set up another and had seven shots against the Socceroos.
He also had 19 touches in Australia’s box – the highest by an individual player at a World Cup in 52 years.
“It’s just the physicality of the guy,” Atkinson said.
“The pace – it’s not hidden how quick that guy is. Give him one step and he’s gone.
“As a team you can always come up with a plan but sometimes if it’s one v one, he gets the better of you.
“There’s a reason why he’s in the top three players in the world.
“But I don’t want to use that as an excuse. I want to verse the top players in the world.”
Atkinson entered Australia’s dressing room downcast but the Socceroos’ senior core instantly lifted his spirits.
“When I got into the change room, my head was down,” he said.
“But the first people that came up to me were the experienced players who talked about their experiences.
“And they said the beauty is, in three days time we have got another game.
“The beauty of the tournament is you can’t dwell on it because we have got another game to fix it in three days.”
Australia next play Tunisia on Saturday (9pm AEDT).
