Serbians come to Dublin with a swagger and destiny in their own hands
SERBIA have vowed to show no mercy to a wounded Republic of Ireland on Tuesday by aiming to all but secure automatic World Cup qualification in Dublin.
A resounding victory in Belgrade over Moldova, who had drawn 2-2 against Georgia in June, opens up a two-point lead for the Serbians.
Two goals inside the opening 20 minutes at a rainsoaked Partizan Stadium had the table-toppers in cruise control and they had the luxury of substituting Nemanja Matic and Dusan Tadic midway through the second half to eliminate any risk of them incurring a booking and a suspension for Tuesday.
In addition, they’ll have Crystal Palace powerhouse Luka Milivojevic and firstchoice goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic back available after they each served a one-match ban in last night’s stroll.
Even if Ireland can somehow recover from last night’s Tbilisi terror to eke out a draw against the leaders, then Serbia will have their two remaining games against Austria and Georgia at home to seal their passage to the World Cup.
Based on the performances of the respective nations last night, it is difficult to see Ireland leapfrogging Slavoljub Muslin’s classy side with just three fixtures left.
‘Our objective in this double-header was gaining maximum points and this win over Moldova makes us hopeful of achieving that in Dublin,’ said Muslin.
‘Ireland will be a much tougher opponent but we travel there knowing our destiny is within our own hands. That is what we wanted at this critical stage of the campaign.’
Due to his two suspensions, Muslin was forced to some changes but it was voluntary switch which accelerated their fourth victory in seven qualifiers.
Mijat Gacinovic was a graduate of the nation’s Under 20 World Cup triumph of two years ago and had only played nine minutes of senior football before being thrust into the right wing-back position last night instead of Antonio Rukavina.
Utilising the space down the channel afforded by the defensively-minded minnows, he flourished by scoring one and setting up the Serbia’s other first-half goal.
His half-volley from Kolarov’s cross on 13 minutes was soon reciprocated as the
Eintracht Frankfurt man squared for his fellow wingback seven minutes later to add a second.
A downpour meant throngs of fans missed the opener as they took shelter beneath the old concrete stands. It was the first time Serbia had played a qualifier at the rivals of Red Star but the uncovered stands made life difficult for the faithful.
By the time the conditions improved, Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovi was on a mission to atone for a litany of missed chances, including a first-half header which struck the post. Eventually, the Serbian striker grabbed his sixth goal of the campaign by sidefooting home Filip Kostic’s left-wing centre with nine minutes remaining. In truth, the margin of victory could have been much higher. On a slippery surface, which could have led to late tackles and bookings, Serbia eased clear once the contest was effectively put beyond Moldova after 20 minutes.