FIFA World Cup: Serbia beat Costa Rica 1-0

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Serbia beat Costa Rica 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in the Group E opening match of the World Cup at Samsara Arena in Russia.

Costa Rica had two chances to score in the first half, but it was Serbia that converted the opportunity into a goal and won the match.

Serbia's Captain Aleksandar Kolarov was the hero for his team after his 56th minute free-kick defeated Costa Rica's Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

The win gave Serbia three points, while Costa Rica needs to perform much better in its last two games.

"My players had the right attitude and approach: unity. We had to be a compact unit in both defence and attack and that's most important," said Serbia's Manager Mladen Krstajic in a post-match interview.

"We play against the second and sixth-placed teams in the FIFA Ranking. It's going to be difficult, but I just told my team: 'This isn't over," said Costa Rica Manager Oscar Tabarez, according to FIFA.com.

The other match of the group will see Brazil taking on Switzerland at 1800 GMT.