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“We got off to the perfect start,” Kewell said in an interview with SBS World Cup commentator David Basheer.
“I felt we were aggressive in the right areas and we were kinda nicking the balls and putting France under pressure. And that’s the one thing a back line, or any nation, or any player doesn’t want – is pressure.”
The pressure worked, as did the teamwork between Mathew Leckie and Craig Goodwin who netted Australia’s first and only goal of the match.
“Then we kind of backed off our game plan,” Kewell said. “It just felt that we dropped off. We dropped off, and then France really just took control of the game.
“When you get the likes of MBappe and Dembele just producing the moments that they were doing, it was very hard for our back line, our midfielders to get control. And Griezmann for me was kind of controlling it. He was picking up little pockets. And playing balls over the top, not on the floor all the time, balls over the top which is dangerous as well,” Kewell said.
“You can see the class,” he added, describing France’s deserved win. “There is a difference between the countries.”
While Kewell admitted he was disappointed in the final result, his just as quick to acknowledge key takeaways from the high-pressure game with the 2018 World Cup champions, and the development this provides younger players like Nathaniel Atkinson who has been criticised for costly mistakes on the field.
“The one thing that you want to do with a player like that is give him that experience,” Kewell said.
“This is why we play football – to compete against the best players in the world. Unfortunately, we left him vulnerable.”
Mbappe took on the fullbacks repeatedly, creating space and opportunities as well as tucking away a brilliant header.
“The one thing you don’t want to do against Mbappe is leave him one v one,” Kewell said. “When you leave him one v one with space, I mean that’s a joy for a player like Mbappe. Because he has pace. And he’s able to get past. We just needed to cover him a bit more.
“I felt for Atkinson at times during the game. But again, you’re at the World cup. You’re playing against the best players and you have to learn by this.”
As the Socceroos shake off their game against France, attention turns now to the Australians’ upcoming match against Tunisia on Saturday.
“With the Tunisia game, we’ve got to be on the front foot. We’ve got to be able to grab the game and take control of it," said Kewell.
"We have talent in this squad. We have talent. We’ve just got to be able to put this talent in areas where we can actually hurt our opposition."
How to watch Socceroos v Tunisia LIVE and FREE on SBS
Saturday, November 26
Group D - Tunisia v Australia
7:30pm - 11:30pm (AEDT) - kickoff at 09.00pm
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
Catch up on France v Australia the way you want with the full replay and 3, 10 and 25 minute highlights all available on the SBS On Demand Match Hub.
