sport news Socceroo Milos Degenek recalls war-torn childhood before Tunisia clash at 2022 ... trends now
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Socceroos defender Miloš Degenek says pressure to win a World Cup game isn't real pressure.
After being walloped 4-1 by France, another loss against Tunisia on Saturday will confirm Australia's exit at the group stage.
For Degenek, that scenario isn't pressure. Far from it.
'You say 'must-win' game where you think it's pressure ... that's not pressure,' he told reporters.
'Pressure is me as an 18-month-old baby fleeing a war.
'Pressure is me as a six-year-old being in the middle of a war.
'That's pressure. Pressure is not a must-win football game because you can win or lose but I don't think anyone is going to die.'
Degenek (pictured with wife Aleksandra) spent years in a refugee camp before his family came to Australia when he was seven
The defender (pictured marking French superstar Kylian Mbappe in the Socceroos 4-1 loss to France on Wednesday) remembers taking cover in an underground bunker as a boy
Degenek was born in Knin, Croatia.
When he was 18 months old, he and his Serbian family fled amid the Croatian war of independence to Belgrade. They rode on a tractor for nine days to get there.
The Degeneks lived as refugees in Arandelovac, about 70
