Olyroos player ratings vs Spain: Nathaniel Atkinson makes himself a transfer target after masterclass in defeat
Atkinson #Atkinson
The Olyroos suffered a late 1-0 loss against Spain on Sunday night as a number of Aussies stepped up to the challenge posed by their star-studded opponents.
La Rojita dominated the game with the green and gold doing well to dig deep and only concede in the final 10 minutes.
While Australia didn’t get a chance to shine in attack, a number of defenders highlighted their potential with one man in particular set to earn plenty of transfer interest following his performance.
Sporting News rates how all of the Olyroos performed against Spain…
Thomas Glover 7
Made a few solid saves throughout and stood no chance with Spain’s winner.
Joel King 6
Gave his opposite number a bit too much space at times but never stopped working down the left flank.
Thomas Deng 7
Another solid performance for the skipper who was kept busy by Spain’s attackers.
Harry Souttar 6
Like Deng, had to stay on his toes throughout and scrambled well when needed to in defence. Wasn’t able to pose his usual threat from set-pieces.
Nathaniel Atkinson 9
Excellent on the right side of defence with his pace allowing to him make a number of crucial blocks and interceptions. Having starred for Melbourne City at club level this past season, he could well be attracting some serious transfer interest with performances like this.
Got through an enormous amount of work in a stretched midfield and was often in the right place at the right time to break up Spain attacks.
Denis Genreau 6
Never really got a foothold in the match and was guilty of a poor shot with a rare Australia chance in the final third.
Riley McGree 6
Struggled to get involved and make the most of what limited ball he got.
Lachlan Wales 6
A subdued performance following his goal-scoring heroics against Argentina midweek.
Daniel Arzani 7
Drew some early fouls to get Oscar Gil carded inside three minutes and showed his dribbling ability with a few promising runs in the first half.
Mitchell Duke 7
Defended from the front tirelessly for the Olyroos and drove forward well with the ball when he did get it.
Substitutes: Marco Tilio 7, Kye Rowles 6, Keanu Baccus 6, Caleb Watts 6, Nicholas D’Agostino 6