Nathaniel Atkinson shows Socceroos coach his versatility ahead of World Cup by scoring crucial goal
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Australian defender grabs a crucial late GOAL for Hearts to secure a dramatic draw – showing the versatility that could seal a World Cup spot
- Socceroos defender Nathaniel Atkinson scores a rare goal for Hearts
- It came in the 94th minute and secured a draw and a valuable point for his side
- Atkinson locked in a two-way race to secure Socceroos’ right-back position
- His goal came at just the right time to show his national coach his versatility
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Socceroos defender Nathaniel Atkinson can’t get the Australian team from behind for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he may get a shot up front after scoring a key stoppage time goal for Hearts over the weekend.
The strike from the right-back in the fourth minute of added time gave Hearts a 2-2 draw against Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership clash.
Atkinson competes with Elijah Just in the international friendly between the New Zealand All Whites and Australia Socceroos recently
To make the rare attack even more impressive, the Hearts defender fired the long-range missile from his non-preferred left boot.
It’s the second goal he’s scored for Hearts, but this left-footed half volley to steal a key championship point was easily the better of the two.
“I’m not that high on the pitch to be honest,” Atkinson joked.
“But to be honest I’ve dreamed about it a few times, not right foot volleys but left foot volleys, I don’t know why – but it’s not just to get up.”
Atkinson’s Hearts trailed 2-0 just before the hour, but the 23-year-old found the resilience his team showed to fight back encouraging.
“It’s disappointing to drop some points, but it’s also a bit positive to come back so late in the game,” Atkinson said.
“It just goes to show that the guys want to fight to the limit.
“I saw that when the second goal fell for them, everyone was disappointed, but you could see that everyone had a fire in their stomach.
“It was still early in the game and we had plenty of time to come back and we did.”
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will announce the final roster for Qatar later this month
Atkinson was included in his first Socceroos roster earlier this year and has since argued almost irresistibly for inclusion in Qatar’s final squad.
The fact that the Socceroos held New Zealand scoreless in both recent friendlies wouldn’t have hurt either, as Atkinson spent quality time in defense in both games.
Atkinson and Fran Karacic, who plays for Brescia in Italy’s Serie B, are battling for the right-back position, with Sydney veteran Rhyan Grant also a contender.