World Cup 2018: 3 things Serbia got right in 1-0 win over Costa Rica

In what was perhaps the least exhilarating of all games so far in the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup that blew us away with its first 3 days' action, Serbia edged past Costa Rica thanks to an exquisite freekick by Aleksandar Kolarov.

Costa Rica could not muster anything of note going forward and the scoreline which reads Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia is perhaps a bit flattering as far as they are concerned.

VAR inevitably came into play towards the fag end of the game as Matic got into an argy-bargy with Costa Rica's coaching staff over a ball that went out of play. Though the United man was reprieved, Prijovic would later get a yellow card after VAR was used to adjudge an incursion from his part yellow card worthy.

At the end of the day, the Serbs walk away with a very valuable win and let's take a look at the 3 things they got right in their 1-0 win over Costa Rica.

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#3 Held their shape in defence and nullified Costa Rica's attacking threat

The Serbians were immense in defence

Serbia deployed the combo of Milenkovic and Tosic in central defence flanked by Kolarov and Ivanovic. Branislav Ivanovic, the former Chelsea man, proved to be too tough to negotiate with for the likes of Calvo and Venegas.

Meanwhile, the young Milenkovic and the veteran Tosic, after a shaky start, ensured that Urena was not afforded enough space or time on the ball to create trouble. The defensive midfield duo of Milivojevic and Matic helped out to great effect and nullified the threat of Bryan Ruiz through the centre.

They used their superior physicality to see off the danger in the final 10 minutes as Costa Rica tried putting in crosses incessantly. They were so solid at the back that Costa Ricans spent very little time in the box.

If they can keep this up, Serbia will prove to be a tough cookie to crack for as long as they survive in the tournament.

#2 Playing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in an advanced role

Savic proved to be too hot to handle for the Costa Rican midfield

After the players were back on the field post the halftime break, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was deployed in a more advanced role than the one he occupied in the first half. All of a sudden, Serbia's attacking threat tripled.

The Lazio midfielder was skiing past midfielders and defenders as though they weren't there at times. He also played Mitrovic into a one-on-one situation on two occasions but the striker couldn't finish off either of their chances.

Savic justified all the hype around him after having a stellar season at the Italian club. If he can continue to deliver similar performances and if Mitrovic can stop being so wasteful in front of goal, Serbia could become the dark horses of the tournament.

#1 Set-piece dominance

What an absolutely stunning freekick that was

With the likes of Mitrovic, Matic, Kolarov, Ivanovic, Tosic and Milenkovic in the lineup, it is not really surprising that Serbia were the more dominant team in set-pieces. They saw off every Costa Rican set-piece with aplomb and proved to be difficult to handle when long balls started to be sprayed all over the pitch.

This Serbian team is quite dangerous from set-pieces and this is harmonized with Kolarov's set-piece taking abilities. It was his absolutely unstoppable curler from 30 yards out that ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams despite all the control the Serbs experienced throughout the game.

Kolarov's shot was as fast as a tracer bullet and the Champions League winning goalkeeper, Keylor Navas could not get a fingertip on it and it really was not for the lack of trying.

With such towering figures on the field and with Kolarov dispensing the short setpiece duties, you don't want to concede cheap freekicks against these mighty Serbs.