Socceroos star Robbie Kruse feared the worse when taken out by Jordan player in World Cup qualifier

FOR a few moments Robbie Kruse’s mind was a blur, the fear of what he might be about to find out taking the Socceroos star to the brink of tears.

Socceroos vs Jordan

FOR a few moments Robbie Kruse’s mind was a blur, the fear of what he might be about to find out taking him to the brink of tears.

After more than an hour of Kruse showing he was back to his best in the green and gold, setting up three goals in Australia’s World Cup romp on Tuesday night, a scything tackle left him fearing he had suffered a third serious injury.

Which was why the applause went around Allianz Stadium when the Bayer Leverkusen winger eventually got back to his feet, sore but confident no serious damage had been done. After missing the 2014 World Cup through a knee injury, and losing a year of international football through an Achilles injury suffered in the Asian Cup final, Kruse of all players deserves good fortune.

Robbie Kruse has wretched luck with injuries.

“I’m not sure if I was angry, I was just a little bit shocked,” Kruse said of the ugly tackle that eventually forced him off on Tuesday night.

“I was panicking a lot. I was almost crying there, just thinking of the worst. It’s hard to explain, it’s a similar feeling to what I had at the Asian Cup.

“A lot of things were going through my head, so I was really glad when they (Socceroos medical staff) told me it was OK and I was able to come back on and did a few more sprints. It looks like everything is good, fingers crossed.

“It was on my left leg and my heart stopped a little bit. I’m just happy with how I played and hopefully everything comes through OK and I can keep building on this performance.

“It’s my first game in almost a year and a half, since the Asian Cup, so it’s important for me to put in a good performance personally. Obviously, collectively as a team, it was a great performance as well.”

Having twice been through a lengthy rehab process, Kruse tried to explain the euphoria of being back in the national side.

Robbie Kruse had a big night against Jordan.

“It’s been a difficult time for me, mentally it’s been quite tough, sitting back and watching others play in your position - even though you wish them all the best,” he said.

“I really felt I had to put in a good performance to remind people that I can still play at a top level and I still have a lot of football left in me. So I hope I proved to a lot of people that I can play at this level and better. I’m feeling a lot better mentally and physically from what I’ve been through in the last few years.

“Unless you’ve been through it, it’s quite difficult to explain. I’ve already been out for about two years and it’s quite tough. When you see the boys altogether and you’re stuck doing long rehab sessions, it’s not the best feeling.

“But in the end it’s worth it when you get to wear the jersey again. There were a lot of people who doubted me and doubted whether I’d be able to get back to the level I was at, but I think I proved a lot of people wrong tonight and it’s only going, hopefully, to go upwards from here.

“Hopefully I can get back to my club in good shape. I’ve been playing a lot there and hopefully I can keep building on that and look forward to the games (against England and Greece) in May and June.”