INCREDIBLE DEFEAT FOR THE EAGLES IN THE NATIONS LEAGUE: Greece snatched victory from Marakana in the 95th minute, Serbia left without a point! (VIDEO)

The Serbian national football team played Greece at a half-empty “Rajko Mitić” Stadium and were ultimately defeated 1:2. A new campaign in the A Division of the Nations League began without an important point. In the 95th minute, we were left without it.

Not many people came to welcome the Eagles on Dušan Tadić’s return to the national team, largely because of the weather, but also because of the poor results in the previous period. Obviously, people will have to be motivated before they start coming in greater numbers. Nevertheless, a positive outcome has now been recorded.

Veljko Paunović shuffled his cards, sending Simić and Cvetković onto the field from the start, which surprised many, but he certainly had less room to maneuver due to injuries that left him without Milenković and Mitrović.

And Serbia entered the match well, threatening through Maksimović as early as the second minute, and taking the lead in the fourth. Dušan Tadić capped a good move with an assist and a beautiful lob pass, while Andrija Živković put the ball into the net after a very good run.

By the ninth minute, the Greeks could already have scored twice, first after Karetsas hit the post, and then when the same player tried from a greater distance, but was not accurate enough and Vanja Milinković-Savić saved it.

The visitors kept possession until the 30th minute, while Kostoulas missed a great chance in the 15th. During Greece’s spell of pressure, Strahinja Pavlović brilliantly found Luka Jović, but he produced a very poor shot from around ten meters.

Before halftime, Vanja also saved a Colis effort, while ahead of the second half, Veljko Paunović strengthened the midfield and sent Lukić on in place of Cvetković. That probably produced the desired effect, but in the second half, we were virtually harmless in attack until conceding the goal.

Retsos and Pavlidis tried in the 49th and 61st minutes, with Vanja making excellent saves, but Greece’s pressure finally paid off in the 75th minute, when Pavlidis found Colis, and the Arsenal player finished in style to make it 1:1.

Only then did Serbia begin to attack, but that also left plenty of space behind our players. Colis almost converted one of the counterattacks, and then, in the 90th minute, we got our chance.

Substitute Dejan Joveljić hit the post from a promising position, and after the rebound, Saša Lukić also tried, but goalkeeper Colakis made a miraculous save to take the point to Greece. Or so we thought…

The fifth minute of stoppage time was being played when Douvikas capitalized on a Greek attack, leaving Veljko Paunović’s team on their knees and empty-handed. Awful…

In three days, Serbia will host the Netherlands at the same venue. The Dutch lost 1:0 at home to Germany in the opening round.

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