Young rookie out to make impact
AJDIN Hrustic is plotting to make an impact at the Confederations Cup after revealing his pride at making his Socceroos unveiling at the MCG.
The Dutch-based attacker said he felt “free” in his 35-minute cameo against Brazil, and was one of the positives to emerge from a game where Brazil flaunted its international class.
Hrustic wasn’t shy taking on Brazil players and showed aggression, and despite almost scoring an own goal, his gut-busting run to chase down a Brazilian counter did not go unnoticed.
Dandenong born-and-bred Hrustic, 20, was thrilled to debut at home seven years after leaving for Europe to chase his professional dreams as a teen.
“Obviously it’s great to make your debut against Brazil and I’ve made my debut in my hometown, where I was born,” Hrustic said.
“I felt good, I was excited, there was no need to be nervous. It’s a friendly, I felt free. The boss just told me just to do my thing. I felt good.”
When asked if he could make an impact at the Confederations Cup, Hrustic said: “I hope so, that’s why I’ve been selected. I hope I’ll play minutes in those three qualifying games and hopefully on to the next stage.”
The Groningen attacker, who played in one of the central attacking roles against Brazil, said international football was an eye-opener.
“It’s different. It’s a different kind of lifestyle, football style and you learn from every team, every club, every nation,” he said.
“It is tough (not to be in awe of Brazil), no games are easy. You learn from every game, it might be positive or negative. It might be a 4-0 loss, or a 4-0 win, but you have to take away the positives and learn from it.
“Disappointing with that result, but I’m sure we’ll learn from this and take it as a positive on our way to Russia.”