Attacking midfielder Ajdin Hrustic opened the scoring in the Subway Socceroos win over Bangladesh on Thursday night in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
He put in a strong performance in the match, playing 50 minutes in the midfield alongside Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe.
Of course, scoring a goal meant a lot to him but speaking after the match, he said the most important thing from this game was the three points.
“Amazing feeling to score, it's been it's been a while, I think last one was the last World Cup qualifiers,” he said.
“The most important thing is the three points, that wasn't easy, but the boys were mentally strong and prepared, and that's what counts.”
Australia had to work hard to break down a stubborn Bangladesh in the match and the stats showed that come fulltime as they finished with 73% possession.
Hrustic confirmed that it wasn’t an easy task to break them down in the difficult conditions in Dhaka.
“We created quite a lot of chances, but we just weren't there at the end, we weren't there for the tap in or for the header,” he said.
“But you’ve just got to be patient in these games, it's not easy and I don't know how it was watching at home, but for us, it wasn't easy, I can tell you that.”
He added that it was easier once the deadlock was broken, but perhaps the Socceroos should’ve come away with more goals in this game.
“Once the first one (goal) is in, it’s a lot easier and you can calm down and you can move the ball quicker, and then you got a bit of relief, where you can go for the second,” he said.
“I thought the a second goal was bigger from us, and even then, I think we should have we should’ve gone for three and four, but we'll take it, 2-0 away from home in difficult conditions.”
One thing that has been constant in this Socceroos squad in recent years is mental strength and Hrustic said once again this performance showed high levels of preparation.
“We're mentally prepared and I think we showed that in a strong performance, even though it didn't look great, you can't always win games in a beautiful way,” he said.
“Sometimes it just has to be a difficult one like this, but like I say three points is all that counts and now we're off back home.”
And to finish, Hrustic said he is happy and enjoying his football once more which for the Socceroos is great news.
He said: “I'm still not 100%, but I'm happy that I'm back with the national team and I'm happy again and I think that's what counts.”
Match Details
Subway Socceroos v Palestine
Tuesday, 11 June 2024
HBF Park, Perth
Kick-off: 8.05pm AWST / 10.05pm AEST
Tickets: Start from $15 Child, $20 Concession, $25 Adult, and $50 Family. Tickets from Ticketmaster.
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play, Paramount+