Costa Rica vs Serbia, World Cup 2018, As it happened

97' PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! Full time. That's it. Serbia might be lucky to get away with it. Kolarov with the goal that's fit to win any game. A spectacular freekick wins the game for Serbia against a Costa Rican side who could muster nothing of note going forward.

Costa Rica 0-1 Serbia

That's that from the yap centre. Hope y'all had a ball. This is me, Shambhu Ajith, signing off.

Ciao.

96' The ref is checking the video for a review of what Prijovic did to Calvo. Gets a yellow card for palming him in the face.

95' OH Lord! Gamboa digs out a cross from nothing and Ruiz gets to have a go at goal but it is blocked and the ball falls Bolanos who misses with only Stojkovic in front of him, from 6 yards out. He has been flagged offside though. But how could he miss from there anyway?!

94' There is VAR review for a possible red card for Matic in that accident. And no, there won't be. It has been decided.

93' Matic gets into a tussle with the Costa Rican coaching team after a member from their staff takes the ball that went out of play into his hands and refused to hand it back to Matic.

92' Ruiz plays an early ball to the far post for Campbell but Kolarov gets to it first and heads it out for a corner. Bolanos takes the corner and it is cleared out of danger and Tosic breaks on the counter in a on 1 situation. But Tosic can't play it across as his foot gets stuck underneath and sends it straight into the hands of Navas.

90' 5 minutes added on and Costa Rica have a freekick 40 yards away from goal on the right side. The ball is hoofed into the area but it is headed clear. Gamboa goes for goal from 30 yards out but it's a tame shot and it rolls into the safe hands of Stojkovic.

89' Savic with yet another excellent piece of play as he dances past a player and slides it across the edge of the area for Tosic. Tosic goes for glory but ends up sending the ball into orbit.

88' Substitution for Serbia.

Mitrovic off. Prijovic on.

86' Savic slaloms past the Costa Rican midfield and threads in a beautiful ball for Mitrovic and the striker is one-on-one with Navas but Gonzalez dives in and brings Mitrovic but the referee says get up. Replays show that there was no contact. Mitro should have finished that off.

84' Kolarov pumps a long ball into the area for Mitrovic and he nearly gets to it before he is flagged offside by the assistant.

82' Borges plays a handsome diagonal ball for Bolanos on the right flank and he brings it down with his chest and lays it off to Gamboa but the Costa Ricans once again fail to put something together in the final third as they pass the ball out of the danger zones and eventually relinquish possession.

81' Substitution for Serbia.

Tadic walks off to an ovation and Rukavina takes his place.

80' Savic tries to pick the perfect pass for Tadic who is hotfooting it into the box but Gonzalez turns around kicks the ball clear.

79' Campbell takes a little too much time to release the ball after getting the beating of Kolarov and Tosic. Tosic recovers and wins the ball back and clears the danger.

78' Colindres dribbles past Ivanovic and whips in a cross but he can't find a teammate and that's that.

76' In fact, replays have shown that Navas got his fingertips to the ball and diverted it from its path which didn't help Kostic in the very least.

75' WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO 2-0 UP FOR THE SERBS! Kostic gets the ball played to him on a plate by Tadic and it falls for him after beating Navas at the near post but he just couldn't sidefoot it home. That could have been 2-0. Should have been 2-0.

75' Sergej Milinkovic Savic goes for goal from 25 yards out after the Serbs put together an exhibition of quick passing play. But he sends it to space probing for the 10th planet!

74' Ruiz tries to spread the play out into the wings from the centre of the park with an outside foot pass but there's no one there and the ball rolls out of relevance much to the dismay of the Costa Rican fans.

72' Bolanos gets a lucky deflection and the ball falls for Campbell who darts into the area but Tosic steps in to deny him the space to have a shot and the ball goes out for a corner. Nothing comes from it though.

Substitution for Costa RIca.

Colandres on. Guzman off.

71' Bolanos feigns and Campbell waits on the defender thereby disrupting the Serbian defence. But his ball does not fall for any Costa Rican and the danger is quelled.

70' Joel Campbell is thrown to the ground by Milenkovic. Costa Rica have a freekick 35 yards out, near the left flank.

69' Substitution for Serbia.

Ljajic off. Kostic on.

67' Campbell, trying to show off some skills down near the right side of the box, loses the ball rather cheaply.

66' Substitution for Costa Rica.

Joel Campbell in. Urena off.

65' Ivanovic swings another ball into the box and Savic is there but he just can't get a proper contact on the ball.

64' Borges lobs the ball towards Urena in the area but Milenkovic heads the ball out danger.

63' Duarte galops into the final third and slides it to Bolanos whose cross is below par and the attack is foiled.

62' Costa Rica are playing higher up the pitch ever since that goal went in. They have tweaked their tactics evidently and it has got them more control over the proceedings.

60' Bolanos plays yet another cross into the area but Stojkovic gathers the ball before Urena can get to it.

59' Costa Rica have a freekick from the left flank. It's played in deep and Savic heads it out of the 6 yard box but its not really away but Matic gets it and escapes with it and thwarts the danger.

Substitution for Costa Rica.

Bolanos on. Venegas.

58' Ivanovic gets a yellow card for an ugly challenge on Venegas.

58' Tadic swivels past Calvo and another Costa Rican before cutting in and lobs it for Mitrovic inside the area but it's a tad bit ahead of him than he would have wanted and that attack comes to zilch.

57' It's game on now. Can Costa Rica come back?

56' ALEKSANDAR KOLAROV WITH THE FREEKICK OF THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR! WHAT A SENSATIONAL STRIKE INTO THE TOP CORNER. HE CARVES IT AWAY FROM NAVAS AND INTO THE TOP CORNER. BEAUTIFUL.

55' Kolarov stands by the ball and it is very much within his range.

55' Guzman labours his way to a yellow card after engaging Mitrovic with some incessant clawing from behind.

53' It's a promising set-piece and Mitrovic was in again but Duarte has him checked with all limbs available and doesn't let the Serb get a proper contact on the ball.

53' Kolarov puts in a lovely cross to the far post from the left wing and it falls a little beyond Mitrovic and Calvo heads it out for a corner and puts out the fire. For now.

51' Savic once again tries to play Mitrovic into the area but Gamboa intervenes to put the kibosh on that Serbian attack.

49' MITROVIC MISSES A ONE-ON-ONE. Mitrovic receives a long ball on his chest and plays a lovely little give and go with Savic and receives the return ball inside the box and is one-on-one with Navas but the Real Madrid guardian gets down to his left and palms the ball away for a corner. The corner comes to nothing though.

49' Kolarov intercepts the ball and plays a lovely exchange with Savic and though they lose the ball they regain the ball and spreads the play out onto the right wing. However, they're forced to go back to defence and play their way out once again.

47' Guzman is clattered into by Savic near the halfway line and the Costa Rican goes down in pain.

46' Calvo throws it to Ruiz but the Serbians power it away towards Mitrovic and queers his pitch.

45' Ruiz makes progress down the left flank after cutting past 2 players and Costa Rica have a throw-in near the corner flag.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! And we're off in the second half. The game remains deadlocked and both sides are back on the field without making any changes. Can the second half offer something different? Let's hope it does.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! That's that in the first half. Costa Rica 0-0 Serbia. Let's hope the match springs to life in the second.