Serbia are the latest team to fall out of the World Cup, having lost 3-2 to Switzerland in an action-packed finale to the group stage tonight.
However, despite being at the bottom of the group, there were a number of fantastic individual performances that stood out, including from some of Manchester United’s transfer targets.
Former United goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic was forced to make a double save in the first minute as both teams battled for a place in the round of 16.
At the other end, there was a corner for Serbia but Milenkovic’s header narrowly missed the post.
Serbia knew they had to win and in the tenth minute they shook the woodwork, but it was Switzerland who took the lead after twenty minutes.
At this point, Serbia was sitting bottom of the table with Switzerland poised to advance.
It was to be a dramatic night though, as six minutes later Mitrovic headed in Serbia’s equalizer.
They were things from end to end and there were more goals to come. Dusan Vlahovic, who has been linked to a Manchester United play in January, stripped the ball from the Swiss defense and fired past the goalkeeper to put Serbia ahead.
The tables turned again when Switzerland drew level. Playing a high line left Serbia vulnerable and the Swiss pounced.
In the second half, Serbia’s qualification hopes were dashed early on when a well-worked team goal for Switzerland put them ahead three minutes after restart.
United’s new transfer target Sasa Lukic had a passing accuracy of 91%, showing why he is a priority for the club in January. He had a chance midway through the second half, but couldn’t convert it.
Thereafter, Serbia’s game became more complicated as despair and frustration boiled over. They tried to pick up the pace and Switzerland tried to slow things down.
In the end, Serbia couldn’t find the much-needed goals, but they played some exciting football, especially in the last two group games, and took risks that unfortunately didn’t pay off.
