World Cup: Kolarov's sublime free-kick sees Serbia win against Costa Rica

With games against Brazil and Switzerland lying in wait in Group E. This is a crucial opening game for Serbia and Costa Rica to press their credentials

Serbia got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start as Aleksandar Kolarov's sublime free-kick secured a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica.
 

Aleksandar Kolarov's sensational free-kick proved the difference as Serbia got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in Group E.

Serbia, who enjoyed a distinct height advantage, were too reliant on the long ball approach, but lack of creativity up front prevented them from exploiting their dominance in the air.

The Serbian defence, however, was well organised and offered the Costs Rican forwards very little space to exploit.

Costa Rica had two opportunities in the first half and they didn’t take advantage of them. In the second half, Serbia were more confident and scored the decisive goal. This was a chess match that Serbia won.

On the pitch today, Serbia did exactly what they promised in the build-up to the match. They played like a team, covering positions for one another, they didn’t underestimate their opponent and they didn’t get caught in the headlights of playing in their first World Cup match in eight years. 

Nemanja Matic is firing up the crowd in Samara now as Serbia make their third change, Prijovic on for Mitrovic. Another sub, Kostic gets the fans going with a good shot from long range.

Serbia, under the tutelage of Mladen Krstajic for the first time in a competitive match, controlled much of Sunday's clash at Samara Arena, but could not find a way through Costa Rica's stubborn rearguard until Kolarov stepped just before the hour.

Excellent throughout, Keylor Navas could do little to keep out the defender's blistering effort, which curled over the wall and into the top corner.

It was nothing less than Serbia deserved for a dominant display, although the best chance of the first half went to Costa Rica's Giancarlo Gonzalez, who headed over from point-blank range.

Serbia had gone close to prior to Kolarov's thunderbolt, Aleksandar Mitrovic - a constant thorn in Costa Rica's side - fluffing his lines when one-on-one with Navas early in the second half.

Mitrovic wasted another chance to wrap up the points late on, but his profligacy did not prove costly as Serbia held on to seal the points.

Both defences were tested in the opening moments - Mitrovic seeing an effort hooked off the line before Gonzalez headed straight at Vladimir Stojkovic at the other end.

Gonzalez spurned another gilt-edged chance 10 minutes later, the Bologna defender heading over despite been unmarked at the back post.

Marking his landmark 104th Serbia appearance, Branislav Ivanovic rolled back the years with a blistering run down the right soon after, but Navas did well to parry his cross away from Mitrovic.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should have done better with a close-range effort 27 minutes in, only for the offside flag to spare the youngster's blushes, before Kolarov drew the best out of Navas with a wicked free-kick.

And Serbia was almost punished for their lack of penetration when Francisco Calvo dragged a strike wide as Costa Rica enjoyed a short spell of possession just before the break.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Navas showed his quality again five minutes after the restart, racing out to deny Mitrovic, who should have done better from 10 yards out.

Costa Rica vs Serbia (Photo: @FIFAWorldCup)

Navas could do nothing to prevent Kolarov's stunning opener, though - Kolarov showing his set-piece proficiency with a venomous, dipping strike that flew in the top-right corner.

Oscar Ramirez introduced Arsenal's Joel Campbell as Costa Rica chased an equaliser, and the forward had appeals for a penalty waved away when he went down under pressure from Dusko Tosic.

Campbell was proving a nuisance, and only a last-ditch challenge from Nikola Milenkovic prevented Costa Rica's substitute from getting in on goal.

Serbia substitute Filip Kostic and Mitrovic both wasted golden opportunities to extend Serbia's advantage late on, the latter's frustrating outing ended soon after as he was replaced.

Serbia were not made to rue those misses, however, and - although a touchline skirmish between Nemanja Matic and a Costa Rica coach threatened to derail proceedings - stood firm to claim just their second victory from their last seven World Cup group stage matches.

Group Dynamics

Costa Rica advanced out of the group stage in Brazil with victories over Uruguay and Italy and a draw with England, but the country's players insisted in the run-up to today's game that this team should not be judged on the past.

"There's always a lot of talk about four years ago, but this is a new World Cup, a new history," Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzales said.

"Some of us are repeating, but there are teammates who are playing their first World Cup. We know the eyes of the world are on us." Costa Rica will next face Brazil on Friday in St. Petersburg, while Serbia plays Switzerland on Friday in Kaliningrad.

Gameplay

Milinkovic-Savic gave Navas a workout in the first half, and while he didn't score, he is clearly a potent weapon for Serbia.

He challenged Navas in the 27th minute from just outside the box, but Navas fell on the ball. Navas also stopped Milinkovic-Savic's bicycle kick in front of goal in the 42nd minute, but it was ruled offside.

Currently, with Italian club Lazio, rumours have swirled that Manchester United might be interested in the dynamic 23-year-old Milinkovic-Savic.

Want some backgrounder about Serbia vs Costa Rica encounter?

Serbia World Cup squad: Krstajic announces his 23-man group for Russia

 

Fifa World Cup 2018: Costa Rica hinges on Joel, Navas to upset favourites

When and where to watch:

FIFA World Cup 2018 Costa Rica vs Serbia match will take place on Sunday, April 17, 2018 at 5.30 PM 

Costa Rica vs Serbia will be broadcast on Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD in English Commentary and Sony Ten 3 and Sony 3 HD in Hindi Commentary.

Serbia vs Costa Rica match will be available for live streaming on Sony Liv. And Both Airtel and Jio would broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2018 matches for free to their respective subscribers


Before we start today's match commentary, these are highlights and analysis of Saturday matches:

Australia vs France: Griezmann became the first player to score from penalty after a VAR review: Read here: Pogba goal saves France's blushes against disciplined Australians, FT 2-1

Argentina vs Icleland: If you have 'missed' Messi's missed penalty: Don't worry, we have got your back. These are the highlights: Messi fails to break the 'Ice'land defence, Argentina manage a 1-1 draw

Peru vs Denmark: The third match was full of insane energy between Denmark and Peru: You can catch all the highlights here: Denmark's Poulsen scores solitary goal in closely fought 1-0 win over Peru

Croatia vs Nigeria: Nigeria need much more than just the chickens which their fans wanted to bring inside the stadium: Croatia vs Nigeria: Croatia sweeps aside Nigeria in 2-0 win despite lacking sharpness

Preview: Costa Rica vs Serbia

For Oscar Ramirez-coached Costa Rica, the aim in this World Cup is to improve on their best performance of a quarter-final which they achieved in 2014 and they have brought to Russia the core group that did wonders in Brazil.

Their first opponent, Serbia are making their comeback to the World Cup after missing out in the 2014 edition qualification. They too have an experienced line-up, including players who played in the 2010 South Africa edition.

The other teams in Group E are Brazil and Switzerland, with the five-time world champions overwhelming favourites to top the group. But the match between Costa Rica and Serbia becomes important since they will not fear the Swiss outfit. This means that the second spot could be a fight between Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.

The core of Costa Rica's roster is the starting 11 from 2014: goalkeeper Keylor Navas; defenders Oscar Duarte, Johnny Acosta, Giancarlo Gonzalez and Cristian Gamboa; midfielders Yeltsin Tejeda, Christian Bolaños, Celso Borges and Bryan Ruiz, and forwards Joel Campbell and Marco Ureña.

These players, with an average age of 29 and boasting valuable experience, have known each other well and competed together for the last eight years.

Navas is Costa Rica's best-known player and his strong performance in Brazil secured a move in 2014 to Real Madrid, where he has become one of the world's top keepers.

Ahead of the match, Serbia captain Aleksandar Kolarov said that Costa Rica have very good defenders. The Roma defender reiterated that Costa Rica has a quick playing style and strong defenders, as well as well-known forwards.

Kolarov downplayed the defeats suffered by Costa Rica in the pre-World Cup friendlies against England and Belgium.

The match on Sunday will be Serbia head coach Mladen Krstajic's first competitive match in charge of the side.

In four international friendlies, the team collected two wins, one loss and one draw. They defeated both Nigeria and China 2-0, lost to Morocco 1-2 and tied 1-1 with South Korea.

In the defeat to Morocco, Krstajic experimented with a 4-3-3 formation, which turned out to be unsuccessful. He then reverted to the familiar 4-2-3-1 in the next match, and won 2-0.

Most of the Serbian national team's players are currently playing in major European leagues, including their 29-year-old star holding midfielder Nemanja Matic, who is indispensable in the Manchester United midfield.

Southampton's midfielder Tusan Tadic, has 51 caps and 13 goals for Serbia, and contributes a lot at the offensive end.

Apart from him, rising star Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is currently at Fulham on loan from Newcastle United, appears to be irreplaceable for his national team. With 35 caps, the 23-year-old has scored 13 goals, making him the most efficient scorer for Serbia.

Serbia also have a dynamic midfielder in Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who is coming off a fantastic season with SSC Lazio in the Italian Serie A.

Branislav Ivanovic and Aleksandar Kolarov serve as the team's previous and new captains. The 34-year-old former Chelsea right-back and the Roma left-sided defender, are both competent in different positions in the defence. Other defenders are Antonio Rukavina, 34, and Duško Tošic, 33.

This is ful 23-man squad of Serbia and Costa Rica:

Serbia squad:

Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Partizan Belgrade), Predrag Rajkovic (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Marko Dmitrovic (Eibar).

Defenders: Aleksandar Kolarov (AS Roma), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit St. Petersburg), Dusko Tosic (Guangzhou R&F), Antonio Rukavina (Villarreal), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Milan Rodic (Red Star Belgrade), Uros Spajic (Krasnodar), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina).

Midfielders: Nemanja Matic (Manchester United), Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio), Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Adem Ljajic (Torino), Dusan Tadic (Southampton), Filip Kostic (Hamburg SV), Andrija Zivkovic (Benfica), Nemanja Radonjic (Red Star Belgrade).

Strikers: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle United), Aleksandar Prijovic (PAOK Salonika), Luka Jovic (Benfica).

Costa Rica squad:

Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, Spain), Patrick Pemberton (Liga Deportiva Alajuelense), Leonel Moreira (Herediano);

Defenders: Cristian Gamboa (Celtic, Scotland), Ian Smith (Norrkoping, Sweden), Ronald Matarrita (New York City, USA), Bryan Oviedo (Sunderland, England), Oscar Duarte (Espanyol, Spain), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Bologna, Italy), Francisco Calvo (Minnesota United, USA), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada), Johnny Acosta (Aguilas Dorados, Colombia);

Midfielders: David Guzman (Portland Timbers, USA), Yeltsin Tejeda (Lausanne-Sport, Switzerland), Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain), Randall Azofeifa (Herediano), Rodney Wallace (New York City, USA), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting CP, Portugal), Daniel Colindres (Saprissa), Christian Bolanos (Saprissa);

Forwards: Johan Venegas (Saprissa), Joel Campbell (Real Betis, Spain), Marco Urena (LAFC, USA).