Serbia bid farewell to the dismal 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a win. In Leskovac, Veljko Paunović recorded his first triumph as head coach after a second-half comeback against Latvia – 2:1 (0:1).
The Eagles were walking on the edge of embarrassment, going into halftime with a deficit after a goal by Vladislavs Gutkovskis, only to complete a turnaround within 15 minutes of the second half thanks to Paunović’s substitutions during the break.
Two excellent assists from Andrija Živković were used by Aleksandar Katai and his namesake Stanković for their debut goals in the national team and something they will remember for the rest of their lives. Especially the son of the legendary Dejan Stanković, who burst into tears in a flood of emotions…
That was the only thing worth mentioning at the end of an unsuccessful qualifying cycle in a match to forget, in which we were far from the required level — both in play and attitude. However, on sheer quality, Paunović’s men managed to secure the victory, primarily for confidence and momentum for the future.
In the end, the tally in Group K is devastating: Serbia finished third with 13 points, one fewer than Albania, which will go to the playoffs, while flawless England qualified directly for the World Cup with 24 points.
Paunović made as many as seven changes compared to the match against England at Wembley, giving a chance to individuals who previously had little playing time (Grujić, Jović, Radonjić…), but no improvement was visible, at least judging by the first-half analysis.
DEBUT GOAL IN THE SERBIAN JERSEY: Aleksandar Stanković
If we showed a solid performance on the Island, relative to the strength of the opponent, tonight in Leskovac we thoroughly embarrassed ourselves in the first 45 minutes. The Eagles came out onto the Dubočica pitch as if punished, without will or desire, and it was clear that the body language was not good. And when that’s the case, nothing will go your way, even if the rival is from the lower tiers of European football.
We thought the weak Latvians would surrender on their own, but they shocked us with a counterattack right at the start. Captain Filip Kostić was easily beaten, Janis Ikaunieks sent the ball into the six-yard box, and Nikola Milenković was late to mark Gutkovskis, who slammed it into the net for 0:1.
That goal shook us so much that we could have gone into halftime two goals down. We didn’t, thanks to Predrag Rajković, whose two saves in two seconds prevented total humiliation, showing incredible reflexes. We practically threw away the first 45 minutes except for one chance by Nemanja Radonjić, and it was clear that something had to change — maybe even a “hair-dryer treatment” in the locker room.
Paunović sent on Ognjen Mimović in addition to Katai and Stanković, kept Radonjić, Saša Lukić and Strahinja Pavlović, and immediately hit the mark. Živković created everything, dribbled past defenders, and laid it off for Katai to equalize with his first touch just four minutes into the second half.
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