Serbian supporters must’ve felt some anxiety when their side’s Captain Aleksandar Kolarov was injured in the warm-up before their World Cup opening match with Costa Rica on Sunday.
A consummate professional, the AS Roma defender would recover from that scare to be present when the teams lined up before the match and went on to score the only goal of the game, a trademark left-footed free-kick that almost bust the net with both power and absolute accuracy.
The 33-year-old former Manchester City left-back provides some much needed experience in a side with a novice Coach at the helm, in addition to his obvious quality on the pitch. Former Werder Bremen and Schalke defender Mladen Krstajic replaced Slavoljub Muslin as first team Coach as recently as December 2017 and caused controversy very early on by stripping Branislav Ivanovic of the captaincy, instead naming Kolarov as the main man.
Serbia’s opening game in this tournament was to be the first competitive game ever as a manager for 44-year-old Krstajic, but he admitted before the match that his job will be made easier by the squad’s veteran players.
“As far as this story about me lacking experience, I don't have any problem because I am working with professional players who prove themselves in clubs across Europe,” admitted the boss to reporters before the match. “We have to be focused, responsible. When I met my squad for the first time, I said, 'Let’s relax, be friends off the pitch, but when comes to matches, everyone has to be responsible'.”
What followed was a controlled performance by Serbia and a 1-0 victory, let down only in the final third as they frequently failed to finish off their chances. Of nine chances created and 10 shots on goal, The Eagles hit the target with just three, despite their obvious height advantage over their opponents.
Yet it was their Captain who led by example and helped his novice boss by converting his free-kick when it mattered most, the superb strike the only tangible difference between the two teams even though Serbia were clearly the side with better quality throughout.
Kolarov’s display for his national team illustrated exactly why he has been so vital for Roma since a move from Manchester City last summer – the full-back having weighed in with three goals and 11 assists in 46 total appearances – as the Giallorossi finished Serie A in third place while also reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
In addition to his vital goal versus Costa Rica, the Serbia Captain also recovered the ball six times, never once dispossessed by the opposition. He would also complete eight out of ten passes in the attacking third, a total which could have been higher if his overlapping runs on the wing had been spotted, his team-mates so often playing the ball into the middle instead.
Now Krstajic and his side have food for thought from the opening match, they will inevitably work on their system before a crucial match with Switzerland on Friday. However this process will be much easier knowing there are three points already in the bag, and they have Captain Aleksandar Kolarov to thank for that.
