Serbia 2-0 Switzerland Player Ratings as Mitrovic shines for the hosts in an emphatic win

Serbia stunned Switzerland 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League’s League A Group 4 game. With the two teams searching for their first victory, the game made for an exciting encounter. Although the Swiss dominated the possession from the off, It was the Serbs who drew first blood shortly before the half-time whistle, with Nico Elvedi scoring an own goal from Lazar Samardzic’s free-kick.

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a sensational curler to double the lead while making things difficult for the visitors. The Swiss had a great opportunity to get back into the game and cut the deficit after Ndoye won a penalty. However, Breel Embolo failed to capitalise on it, having his shot saved by Predraj Rajkovic from the spot.

Serbia National Football Team Player Ratings vs Switzerland

Goalkeeper

Predraj Rajkovic: Made a close-range save early in the second half, though the Swiss were deemed offside. Then came his heroic moment in the second half when he saved Embolo’s penalty kick.

Defenders

Nikola Milenkovic: 7/10 – Another impressive display from the Serbian defensive colossus. Made a handful of vital interceptions and wound up the game with 4 recoveries and 2 blocks.

Strahinja Pavlovic: 7/10 – The AC Milan defender’s tireless legs were visible throughout the game. Forced an own goal from Nico Elvedi and made 4 clearances and 5 recoveries.

Strahinja Erakovic: 6/10 – Mopped up Swiss’ potential threats and also kept Ndoye under check for larger parts. Provided a great cross to Jovic, whose header was saved by Kobel.

Midfielders

Kosta Nedeljkovic: 6/10 – The 18-year-old had a mixed evening as he conceded a penalty after catching Ndoye. Luckily to his relief, the resultant penalty was saved by Rajkovic.

Veljko Birmancevic: 7/10 – An impressive performance from the left wing-back, excelling in both attacking and defensive phases. His quick bursts often caught the visitors off-guard and he arrived at his box timely to shore up the defence.

Nemanja Maksimovic: 6/10 – Maksimovic shone again as the key cog in the midfield. Clocked a passing accuracy of 94%, created 1 big chance and made 4 passes into the final third. Also ended the game with 2 recoveries and 6 clearances.

Marko Grujic: 6/10 – Hauled off at halftime due to a potential injury scare but fared well in the first half; made 2 recoveries and 1 clearance.

Attackers

Sasa Lukic: 5/10 – Forced off with what looked like a serious injury a few minutes into the second half. The Fulham midfielder looked absolutely gutted.

Lazar Samardzic: 7/10 – The Atalanta playmaker showed his class again and how crucial is to the Serbs. Initiated several counter-attacks and his progressive passing spelled danger to the Swiss. Whipped in a cross from the free kick that resulted in Elvedi’s own goal.

Aleksandar Mitrovic: 8/10 – A stellar performance from the Serbs’ all-time top scorer, who added another one to his tally with a belter of a goal. His efforts off the ball and the hold-up play were also brilliant.

Substitutes

Luka Jovic: 6/10 – The AC Milan striker showed a great impact off the bench. Firstly, his shot was saved by Kobel in one-on-one, and then his sharp header was thwarted by the Swiss keeper.

Sasa Zdjelar: N/A

Jan-Carlo Simic:N/A

Nikola Cumic: N/A

Andrija Maksimovic: N/A

Manager

Dragan Stojkovic: 7/10 – Stojkovic was hoping for a result like this after going under the pump over the team’s lack of form. Against the Swiss, everything fell in place and the Serb’s counter-attacking strategy worked to a great extent.

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Switzerland National Football Team Player Ratings vs Serbia

Goalkeeper

Gregor Kobel: 6/10 – Denied Luka Jovic on two occasions with amazing reflexes but was completely hapless for Mitrovic’s stunner

Defenders

Ricardo Rodriguez: 5/10 – Fared well in terms of his passing but was a let-down defensively

Manuel Akanji: 5/10 – A near-perfect game from the Manchester City man was undone by his defensive lapses in vital moments. Should have prevented Mitrovic from curling his effort.

Silvan Widmer: 4/10 – Substituted at half-time after a lacklustre first-half performance. Got booked after Birmancevic outpaced him.

Midfielders

Nico Elvedi: 3/10 A forgettable night for Elvedi, who scored a unfortunate own goal. Was booked for a cynical challenge shortly before that fiasco.

Michel Aebischer: 5/10 – Conceded the free-kick that led to Serb’s opener with the help of Elvedi’s own goal

Remo Freuler: 7/10 – The Bologna midfield dynamo also saw his great display overshadowed by the defeat. His passing game was immaculate while he created 1 big chance and completed 17 passes into the final third.

Granit Xhaka: 7/10 – Xhaka was cut above the rest in an otherwise lacklustre Swiss side. Completed a game-high 107 passes with an accuracy of 90%. Created 2 big chances and delivered the most passes into the final third (20)

Attackers

Zeki Amdouni: 5/10 – The Burnley forward, who is on loan at Benfica, failed to find any kind of inspiration.

Dan Ndoye: 5/10 – Ndoye put in more effort but to little effect. His final ball left a lot to be desired. Won a penalty for his side but only to be squandered by Embolo

Breel Embolo: 4/10 – An insipid performance from the Swiss centre-forward. Dragged his shot wide in the first half and had his weak penalty effort saved by Rajkovic in the second.

Substitutes

Andi Zeqiri: N/A

Joel Monteiro: N/A

Ulisses Garcia: N/A

Edmilson Fernandes: N/A

Fabian Rieder: N/A

Manager

Murat Yakin: 3/10 – Yakin’s dreadful run in the Nations League continues after the third consecutive defeat. Had the chance to open their account against an inconsistent Serbian team and despite a promising start to the game, he began to lose his plot. Once Serbs stamped their authority, Yakin’s men completely looked like fish out of the water.

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