Serbia - World Cup 2010 (by Cup of Bovril)

Serbia’s World Cup hopes and dreams came to an unexpected end in Nelspruit against Australia.


After a controlled yet for too long, barren performance Serbia were unable to find the goal required that would have given them a 2-2 draw and passage into the second round.

The mission started very clearly for the White Eagles, win and qualification was assured.

The first half was one of missed opportunities for the Serbs.

After 11 minutes Ninkovic broke through the middle of the park at pace to play a clever ball beyond the Aussie defence for the onrushing Krasic. It was similar to the way in which Germany had been able to breach this Australian defence in the first group game, except Krasic’s touch was heavy as he rounded Schwarzer and instead of rolling the ball into the empty net it blazed high and wide of the goal mouth.

Again the next chance was created by the energetic Serbs, this time a smart interchange between Krasic and Kuzmanovic on the right touch line led to a dinked cross that found Branislav Ivanovic, who had surged forward un-opposed to control the ball on his chest and thump a half volley that was repelled by the right arm of Schwarzer.

The team in red kept control of the ball and the chances kept arising in the opening period but they could not be put away. Next up was Zigic unable to direct a header towards the goal.

This was followed by Jovanovic moving inside from the left to slide a ball past the Australian defence which was met by Krasic to knock into the goal, only to see the assistant referee to flag for an offside.

Half time dually was upon us and the Serbian side retreated to their dressing room with the match under control but they were aware that they had spurned many chances to secure their progress.

On 52 minutes Zigic was to have his final opportunity in the game. Jovanovic again looking dangerous on the left dragged the ball back for Zigic, who controlled with his chest only to send the ball on the half volley off target.

On the hour mark the news came through of a German goal against Ghana in the other group match. The Aussies quickly made 2 substitutions as did Serbia, who replaced Krasic and Zigic with Tosic and Pantelic.

The changes worked out better for Australia who after 4 minutes of madness found themselves 2-0 ahead after a header from Tim Cahill was followed by a drive from distance by Brett Holman. It was a situation that had been impossible to imagine at half time after the Serbian domination but their failure to convert any of the chances created had come back to haunt them.

Danko Lazovic was the final roll of the dice, coming on after 76 minutes for Kuzmanovic and it was clear that Radomir Antic and his side were going to throw everything they had at this Australian defence.

Eventually they got a break through, Tosic cut inside from his marker to zing a shot that Schwarzer found too hot to handle and the ball spilled out to the 6 yard line where Pantelic was waiting to slot the ball home, to bring the score line to 2-1 with 6 minutes to play.

2 minutes later it looked like salvation was found for the Serbs. Lazovic played a cross field pass beyond the defence to Pantelic who controlled with his first touch and slotted the ball into the bottom corner with his second. As the Serbian fans celebrated once again on the touchline the assistant referee had his flag raised and the goal was not to count.

The White Eagles were to suffer further in the final minute of the match. After conceding 2 penalties in the group due to handballs in the box, corner was struck into the heart of the box by Jovanovic to bet met by the head of Vidic only for the ball to strike the up stretched arm of Tim Cahill.
As the referee was surrounded by claims for the penalty to be awarded, he simply signalled for a corner. The flight of the ball had been clearly blocked by the arm but was judged to have been accidental and Serbian anger was obvious.

The final opportunity again fell to Pantelic but he was too eager with his run, finding himself in an offside position, but his strike was wayward and the ball sailed high and wide of the far post.

The final whistle followed soon after and the Serbian player’s ambitions ended for this competition.

History was not on Serbia’s side going into their crunch Group D match against Germany in Port Elizabeth. The White Eagles had not defeated the Germans outside of Europe since 1962 in Chile and you had to go back 6 World Cups to 1986 to the last time Germany was defeated in a group match.


After the defeat to Ghana in the opening group game, for Serbia to be in control of their own destiny no more points could be dropped in the next two games.

The White Eagles did not disappoint and they left the field with a historic 1-0 victory that blew qualification from Group D wide open.

Radomir Antic made changes to the starting line-up, one which was forced and two which were tactical.

Nevan Subotic was brought into partner Vidic at the heart of the defence, after Lukovic’s red card in the first game. Out also went Pantelic and Milijas, in a tactical switch that saw Ninkovic and Kuzmanvic, who’s hand ball led to the Ghana goal, come into the starting 11.

Kuzamnovic was a straight swap for Milijas but is a more defensive minded midfielder who is happy to sit in behind Stankovic and is more mobile than Milijas.

The switch of Ninkovic for Pantelic was a very interesting move.
Out went 4-4-2 and in came a 4-2-3-1. Against Ghana, the front pairing of Zigic and Pantelic failed to spark and the 2 wingers who are so important to the success of the Serb side could make no impact. Bringing in Ninkovic, who is a clever player with good passing vision to float behind Zigic, would encourage Jovanovic to move into the box from his position on the left. This was a tactic that worked very well in qualifying with Jovanovic getting 5 goals and being the sides leading scorer.

After 38 minutes we saw this very move come to fruition. Krasic, who had troubled the German full back Badstuder with his pace and trickery, was released down the right leaving his marker behind to float a cross to the far post where it was met by Zigic, who’s knock down was met in the 6 yard box by Jovanovic who swept it into the net.

Jovanovic ‘s run had been not picked up by the Germans with Zigic taking up the attention of 2 of their defenders and he was able to wait for the knock down which he took with one touch on his chest before finishing acrobatically with a neat half volley from his left foot.

The joy of the team was very visible as they ran across the pitch to a section of the ground to celebrate with their supporters. Jovanovic leapt over an advertising hoarding and dually disappeared into a concrete moat just below the delighted White Eagles support.

Prior to goal the first half had been most noted for the number of yellow cards shown by the Spanish referee, Alberto Undiano, six times he felt compelled to brandish yellow in a match that was certainly competitive but without a tackle that stood out as violent.

It was 2 minutes before the goal that the sixth yellow was handed out and it was given to Miroslav Klose who had also received the first after 12 minutes. He had been booked for clipping the heel of Branislav Ivanovic whilst chasing to retrieve the ball and then it was a clumsy tackle from behind on Stankovic inside the Serbian half that led to the second booking and then the red card.

Although reduced to ten men the Germans continued try and find a way back into the game and in the second half Lukas Podolski had numerous opportunities for his side but spurned each one.

A journey that started in September 2008 against the Faroe Islands, was the first step on a road to this day, 13th July 2010 in Pretoria and the start of Group D in the first African World Cup.

The draw had brought Serbia together with Germany, Australia and Ghana in one of the more challenging groups for the World Cup.

Radomir Antic had stated, "my ambitions are much bigger than qualification", and after such an impressive route to South Africa his words seemed well placed but with a close but uninspiring Group D opener, in Pretoria against Ghana, the White Eagles slumped to a 1-0 defeat.

This was a match defined by two moments, both of which involved referee Hector Baldassi.
In the 74th minute Aleksandar Lukovic received his second yellow card of the game and thus ensuring his side would see out the final 16 minutes a player short. Lukovic had just been turned by Asamoah Gyan on the edge of the Serbian half and as the Ghanaian attacker ran away he was tugged back by the Serb defender. It was a foul but a very unlikely one to lead to a red card, as the reaction of Lukovic and his team mates showed.

Then with 7 minutes remaining Zdravko Kuzmanovic had the misfortune of seeing a harmless cross connect with his right hand while climbing to clear the ball and the penalty what would decide the match was given.


Although Serbia had the majority of the possession, it was generally held in unthreatening positions but the best opportunities did come their way.

Pantelic, with a well worked set piece in the first half, would have been one on one with Kingson, the Ghana goalkeepers, but he was unable to control the ball and the chance was gone.

The best chance was created at the start of the second half. A good run down the left by Pantelic saw him flight a cross to the far post where Nikola Zigic awaited unmarked but from 5 yards from goal the ball hit the inside of his shin and deflected harmlessly back across the face of the goal. By the reaction of Zigic, he realised this was a great moment for his side.

The red card of Lukovic did not lead to Serbia retreating to hold out for a point and they began to take greater control of the match and created three more chances to take the lead.

Vidic headed a corner narrowly over the crossbar and Branislav Ivanovic saw an enterprising run forward lead to a thumping drive fly close to the top of the goal but neither forced a save.

Kingson was forced into action on 79 minutes when the lively substitute, Danko Lazovic beat his marker and cut a clever ball into the centre of the Ghana goalmouth where Pantelic swung at fresh air but, after a very quiet performance, Milos Krasic met it with a fierce left footed shot that had to be forced over the crossbar.

The penalty followed shortly after that would see Ghana 1-0 in front. Serbia continued to press forward and Kuzmanovic had a chance to make amends for his error but his drive blazed over Kingson’s goal.

Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Sporting), Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin), Andjelko Djuricic (Uniao Leiria).



Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese), Ivan Obradovic (Zaragoza), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio).


Midfielders: Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin), Nenad Milijas (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (VfB Stuttgart), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade), Milos Krasic (CSKA Moscow), Zoran Tosic (Manchester United), Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege).


Forwards: Nikola Zigic (Birmingham City), Marko Pantelic (Ajax Amsterdam), Danko Lazovic (Zenit St. Petersburg), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina Novi Sad).

The build up to South Africa hit a bump, in the unlikely shape of New Zealand,  for Serbia in Klagenfurt on Saturday. 
In a disappointing performance that saw stand-in captain Nemanja Vidic, forced to take a microphone in the second half to calm an angry Serb support.  The match was disrupted by fans throwing flares and missiles onto the pitch and a number of supporters ran onto the pitch leading to Vidic pleading for the game to be allowed to continue.

Serbia, facing a side 63 places bellow them in the FIFA rnakings, were already a goal behind in the match by the time the frustrations of their support was displayed.

With unfimiliar line-up in defence and midfield, Serbia found themselves surprisingly behind in the 22 minute by a goal from Shane Smeltz.  A long ball that was directed towards goal by Vidic found its way to Smeltz who turned back inside Antonio Rukavina, the right back, before sliding a low shot past, Vladimir Stojkovic inside the right hand post.  The concerns over Stojkovic in goal are real for Antic and the Serbian support.

Serbia had plenty of chances to get back into the game but both Zigic and Pantelic were wastefull of the chances that came their way. 
The performance of Zoran Tosic was a positive to take from the match as he looked comfortable on the left flank, in the absence of Milan Jovanovic.  He had a few impressive runs all ending with a good delivery that was then wasted in front of the New Zealand goals.

Poland are next up for the White Eagles this Wednesday in Kufstein, before the squad heads to Belgrade to face Cameroon in their final warm up game at the Maracanna (Crvena Zvezda Stadium) on Saturday 5th June.

The 30 man provisional World Cup squad has been announced in Belgrade by Radomir Antic.


There are not many surprises in the selection, with the only notable absences being squad regulars Bosko Jankovic and Ivica Dragutinovic who had already been ruled out of contention due to injury.

Antic will cut the squad down to 23 players for the 10th June, by which time the White Eagles will be in their training camp in Johannesburg.


Goalkeepers: Vladimir Stojkovic (Wigan), Zeljko Brkic (Vojvodina Novi Sad), Bojan Isailovic (Cukaricki Belgrade), Andjelko Djuricic (Leiria).

Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Antonio Rukavina(Munich 1860), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese), Ivan Obradovic (Saragossa), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio).

Midfielders: Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan), Nenad Milijas(Wolverhampton), Miloss Krasic (CSKA Moscow), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege), Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart), Zoran Tosic (Cologne), Miralem Sulejmani (Ajax), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade).

Forwards: Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Marko Pantelic (Ajax), Danko Lazovic (Zenith), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina), Dejan Lekic (Red Star Belgrade).

With the provisional squads needing to be announced before 12th May and then the final 23 to be declared by 10th June, Radomir Antic has much to think about.

The pre -tournament build up for the Serbian team is one thing that has now been decided by Antic and the Serbian FA.

On the 29th May, the White Eagles will head to Austria to face New Zeland and then return to Belgrade to meet Cameroon on June 5th.

The two friendlies have been lined up with the opponnents who await in Group D very much in mind.

Australia and Ghana, along with Germany are the teams which Serbia must face and the thinking in the Serbian FA is that these two friendlies will help prepare the side for what they will face in the group.

Injury worries are not exclusive to Fabio Cappelo and the England squad, with Branislav Ivanovic out of club action till May and Bosko Jankovic completly ruled out of the Serbian squad for this summer’s World Cup. These injuries are a concern for Serbia but they have also hightlighted the depth of the current squad.


Ivanovic, who has torn a medial knee ligament, would be a automatic starter in the Serb defence and as long as he recovers as hoped he will still take up his position in the side. But what if he does not recover? Will this lead to problems at the back?

To look at the make up of the squad you would say no. There are a number of young defenders who are playing their football in the either Italy, Spain or Germany able to slot into the team. This could easily be the opportunity for either Neven Subotic, Ivan Obradovic, Aleksandar Kolarov or Aleksandar Lukovic to impress on a major stage. The highly thought of Subotic, of Borussia Dortmund is a potential star in the making and a move to a major european club would surely follow a good World Cup appearance.

Bosko Jankovic, who plays for Genoa, is viewed as the natural cover for first choice Milos Kracic on the right side of midfield has not recovered from an anterior cruciate ligaments injury in his left knee. Janokovic made a return for Genoa earlier this month after a six month recovery from surgery only to aggravate his condition and now has a further prolonged period of recovery ahead.

The news will bring Manchester United winger, Zoran Tosic up the pecking order with the White Eagles.
Tosic, who is currently on loan with FC Koln in Germany after a disappointing spell in Manchester, has a good record with the national squad. He is a direct tricky player with a very good turn of pace and has seems more comfortable playing with his compatriots. Tosic has now scored in his last two appearances, the final goal coming in the 3-0 defeat of Tunisa earlier this Month.


Even with the disapointment of 4 years ago in Germany fresh in the memory, the make up of the current squad and its attacking style put in place by Raddy Antic has seen a completely new Serbian football identity arise. This is a confident and strong team who the other sides in group D should not take lightly.

Four months out from kick off in Pretoria, the hopes of coach Radomir Antic, “my ambitions are much bigger than qualification” look to be shaky.


After an impressive qualification campaign for the White Eagles, the world cup draw and problems facing the squad have since deflated ambitions.

After being drawn once more in the world cup “group of death” along with Germany , Ghana and Australia, the key players seem to not be playing regular football.

Antic’s prefered formation of 4-4-2 is based on a familair spine of 5 players, most of which are having problems with their club sides. Can he confidently pick his best side or will he be hampered by the club form of his stars?


Vladmoir Stojkovic, the number one goalkeeper is currently on load at Wigan Athletic. He joined Sporting Club in 2007 but due to poor form he fell out of favour quickly and has seen limited action at club level since. He does hold 29 caps and is the first choice keeper in the squad, having played 8 out of 10 qualifiers, and travelled to Germany with the squad in 2006.


Namanja Vidic, when fit, has been a regular over the last 5 years in the side. With 44 caps to his name he was part of the famous four defence that qualified for the last tournament in 2006. Due to a knee injury sustained in the build up to the tournament the team missed his physical presence in defence conceding 10 goals in 3 games, crashing out with 3 defeats. He has not featured for Manchester United since the 30th December with an injury that the FSS are still seeking clarity on.


The leader of the team is 85 times capped Dejan Stankovic. He is ready to return from a 5 week absence due to a knee injury with Internazionale. He has been in fine form this season with the Serie A club and is the man that makes the Serbs tick. When Stankovic plays they do not lose.
In what will be his third and possibly final World Cup appearance a lot will be expected from the captain.


The main attcaking threat remains 6’8” striker, Nikola Zigic. With 13 goals in 41 games, Zigic is Antic’s leader of the line when playing 4-4-2 or the more reserved 4-5-1. At the last World Cup he was back up to the more experienced Milosovic and Kesman, featuring only in the final group game against Ivory Coast when he scored the opening goal of the game. His club career has been mixed since 2006 from highs with Racing Santander to the lows of Valencia, where he is currently suspended after moking his club coach whilst on the subs bench.


The player giving Antic the least worry must be the flying winger, Milos Krasic who is currently with CSKA Moscow. A much coveted player who has been recently linked with moves to Manchester United, Milan and Bayern Munich. With the Russian season running March to November, he has enjoyed a close season break over the winter and will be well rested when the new Russian season start on 12 March.
He played in all 10 qualifiers, the only member of the squad to do so, scoring twice and was given the Golden Ball by the FSS, for 2009 as the best Serbian footballer.

The 3rd of March sees the White Eagles head to Algiers to face Algeria in a friendly game as part of final preparations before the World Cup and will give Antic the chance to spend some much needed time with his squad.

Henrik Larsson has agreed a 3 month loan deal with Manchester United.

The agreement starts from January 1st to March 12th and will cover 8 Premiership games, Larsson is also available for any European matches United may face.
In March Larsson will return to Helsingborg for the start of the Swedish league season.

With numbers 7 and 11 taken at Manchester we can only assume Henrik will be handed the vacant number 17 shirt at Old Trafford, the number he wears at Helsingborg.

With 10mins left on Tuesday night its safe to say that we would take a point.
A minute later Shunsuke Nakamura changed the evening.
His amazing left foot strike from a free kick that flew into the top corner was nothing more than fantastic.

When he joined Celtic it was assumed he was there to sell t-shirts in Japan but his strike against Man Utd was proof that he is a top drawer player, who seems to be enjoying his Champions League experience.

So at the 5th attempt we are at last into the second round of the Champions League.

Who do we want ?
Well I dont think it really matters but lets hope we can end the awful away record that we have in Europe.

After a weekend stand off outside Ibrox between Rangers fans.
One set wanting change and the other wanting no change (they must be the Huns Sadists).

Well rumours are coming out that suggest Dado "dire" Prso is the lead player in the split between Scottish and foreign players in the Ibrox dressing room.

Prso, who is reportedly close to Le Guen, is the reason why Kris Boyd has not been playing regularly as he feels Boyd does not suit his style of play. The style of a knackered Croat who has lost his will to run.
Prso also fancies captaining the side now much to the displeasure of Barry Ferguson the current captain.

It also seems that Le Guen's no tackling in training rule is going out the window, and all of a sudden there is lots of fight in the team but with each other.

So another week another manager.

Eugenijus Riobovas, the head coach of FBK Kaunas who recently won the Lithuanian title, is now the new temporary head coach of Hearts and the 7th since Mr Romanov got control of the Tyncastle Club.

Valdas Ivanauskas, the current head coach who is currently still on sick leave, was originally covered by Eduard Malofeev (now leaving to do his UEFA pro license). The last three managers of FBK Kaunas are now the last three "managers" of Hearts in the same order as they were in Lithuania.

So how long will Riobovas last?

His english is meant to be as good as Malofeev's, not very.

It does now seem though Hearts are pioneering the new role of temporary head coach with 7 in 21 months.

On average I only have to wait till end of January to ask for my 3 months running Hearts.