Costa Rica in danger of not qualifying from group stage
- by Lynn Briggs
- in Culture
- — Jun 20, 2018
Creaking veterans like Branislav Ivanovic, who can become Serbia's most capped player on Sunday with 104 global appearances, and Aleksandar Kolarov will need to rediscover their heyday if Serbia are to keep opponents at bay in Russian Federation. Find out by following our live matchcast.
But Keylor Navas starts in goal, just three weeks after helping Real Madrid lift a third consecutive Champions League title, with Sporting Lisbon winger Bryan Ruiz captaining the side.
One of the best opportunities of the game occurred when Serbia's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic attempted a bicycle kick near the end of the first half.
Four years ago, Costa Rica were the Cinderella story of the tournament because they could handle a variety of opponents and were able to change their approach on the fly.
Costa Rica goalkeeper Leonel Moreira at a training session.
Costa Rica returns to the world stage on Sunday, opening their 2018 World Cup campaign against Serbia on Sunday, looking for another strong run after pulling off the unthinkable to reach the quarter-finals in 2014 in Brazil.
Their colleagues from the William Hill offer to bet on the triumph of the national team of Serbia with a factor of 1.91, and the victory of Costa Ricans is 4,33.
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"If we play to our potential, are honest among ourselves, as we have been these three weeks, then we can do something", Kolarov said in quotes reported on the Serbian FA's official website.
The critics had seen Serbia as the team in Group E that would be easiest to defeat.
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.
And despite not playing a part in his side's goal, the Manchester United a big influence in the midfield for Serbia, with the presence of Nemanja Matic and Luka Milivojevic allowed him the freedom to push forward. "I'm ready to play in the World Cup".
Celebrating his 34th birthday in February, many would have forgiven former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic for slowing down but against Costa Rica he showed no signs of doing so.
Now with Italian club Lazio, rumours have swirled that Manchester United might be interested in the dynamic 23-year-old midfielder.
