Beijing, November 13 (Xinhua) -- A year ago, in the final round of the European qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup, Serbia scored 2:1 away to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal with a header from striker Mitrovic in the 90th minute, winning the only ticket in Group A to the main event of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Serbian players celebrate victory after a match on November 14, 2021. On the same day, in Group A of the European Zone of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifiers, Serbia defeated Portugal 2:1 to advance to the World Cup finals. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Pedro Fiusa)
Such a victory is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for Serbian coach Stojković, who took over shortly before the qualifiers. But the former head coach of the Chinese Super League Guangzhou R&F (now Guangzhou City), who made his World Cup debut as Serbian coach, faced a challenge – they faced the powerful "Samba Army" Brazil in their first group stage match.
In this World Cup, Serbia is in Group G with Brazil, Cameroon and Switzerland for two qualifying places. At the World Cup in Russia four years ago, Serbia met Brazil and Switzerland in the group stage, but lost to both opponents and missed the round of 16. This time the "old rivals" met again, and the Serbian team tried to stand out.
Stoykovic watches from the sidelines on 19 October 2019. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua
This is Serbia's third World Cup appearance, after the Balkan Eagles failed to qualify from the group at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Compared to the previous two World Cups, this year's Serbian team has a stronger squad.
Captain Tadic is the well-deserved backbone of the Serbian team, and the veteran will celebrate his 34th birthday on November 20, the opening day of the World Cup in Qatar. Tadic, who currently plays for Eredivisie club Ajax, has been elected Serbian Footballer of the Year three times. Tadic has continued his good form this season, with his experience and consistency just what the young Serbian team needs.
Serbia's Tadic (second from right) celebrates after scoring a goal in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in Lisbon, Portugal, March 25, 2019.
In the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal, Tadic scored the equaliser and then assisted Mitrovic in the final minute, which was the biggest contributor to the team's qualification to the World Cup. 'I work well with Mitrovic, a lot of his goals come from my assists, and I often tell him that my task is to help him become the top scorer in the history of Serbian football. In an interview with FIFA's official website, Tadic said that the Serbian team is in the "golden generation".
Indeed, the Serbian team, which is about to compete in the World Cup in Qatar, has a lot of young talent. In the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup final, Serbia defeated Brazil 2-1 to win the trophy, and most of the players in the squad have now grown into regular national team players.
Lazio player Milinkovic Savage celebrates after scoring a goal in a match on October 16, 2021. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Augusto Casasoli)
In midfield, Milinkovic Savage is well-rounded and adept at creating attacking chances, scoring 11 goals for Serie A club Lazio last season. In addition, this Serbian team has a number of players who have performed well in Serie A, Juventus' Kostić, Verona's Lazovic, and Turin's Lukić will play an important role for the team on the World Cup stage; Up front, the talented 22-year-old centre Vlahović is also highly anticipated.
Compared to the talented midfield, Serbia's defensive line is relatively weak, which is one of the challenges for coach Stojkovic. As a player, Stojkovic captained the then Yugoslav team to the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup in France, and this time in Qatar, he and his players also have a very clear goal - to stand out from the group stage and become a "dark horse" in the 2022 World Cup.