It’ll be hard to beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick against Spain, but Serbian captain Aleksandar Kolarov has put his name in the pool as a contender for goal of the tournament after an excellent free kick ensured his side would beat Costa Rica 1-0 in Samara.
While Serbia controlled the game for the most part, they struggled to break the defensive line of Costa Rica, with the free kick coming in the 56th minute.
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From well outside the penalty area, Kolarov got his shot over the top of the wall in front of him, then spun it into the side of the net, going very close to the right post. While Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas had a great game in front of goals, he was left with no chance of stopping what turned out to be the winner.
Costa Rica had their fair share of chances to hit back though, controlling where the game was being played during the last half-hour of proceedings. Striker Marco Urena struggled to find any space, and although his eventual replacement Joel Campbell appeared dangerous at various points, he couldn’t find a way to equalise the game.
Serbia dominated the first hour of the contest. At halftime, they had 60 per cent possession and while they couldn’t find a way through the defence, the physicality and amount of work in defence the Costa Rican’s had to do eventually caught up with them.
The three points are vital for Serbia. In a very tough group, they keep their chances of qualifying for the Round of 16 alive, with Brazil and Switzerland expected to top the group. Their best chance will be to somehow get points against the Swiss, and based on what they displayed in defence today, a draw may well be in the offering.
Costa’s run is more or less over now. They will need a miracle in their remaining two games to have a chance of qualifying.
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
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