FIFA World Cup 2018 match updates: Brazil 2-0 Serbia

The five-times world champions comfortably reached the World Cup last 16 after Paulinho and Thiago Silva scored in each half to give them a 2-0 win over Serbia who were eliminated in Wednesday's match.

IANS photo

Moscow: Brazil finished off their last match in Group E of FIFA World Cup 2018 beating Serbia 2-0 at Spartak Stadium on Wednesday. The five-times world champions comfortably reached the World Cup last 16 after Paulinho and Thiago Silva scored in each half to give them a 2-0 win over Serbia who were eliminated. Brazil will face Mexico in the second round. Paulinho broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when he timed his run perfectly to reach Philippe Coutinho's lofted through pass and flick the ball over goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic. Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrovic had two excellent chances to equalise with close-range headers in the second half before Brazil defender Thiago Silva sealed the game with a near-post header from a corner in the 68th minute.

Follow the match updates:

Fulltime! Brazil 2-0 Serbia, Switzerland 2-1 Costa Rica

90+3 minute: A spectacular interplay between Jesus and Neymar but the Brazilian star player is foiled by Stojkovic

3 minutes of stoppage time!

90 minute: No more hope left for the Serbians, it seems. Three more minutes and they will have to head to the airport

89 minute: Serbian substitution, Jovic replaces Mitrovic

87 minutes: Meanwhile, Switzerland hits the bar again. They are leading in the other Group E match, Switzerland 2-1 Costa Rica

Brazil seem to finish comfortably becoming the winner in the game as well as cementing their position at the top of Group E

84 minute: Willian gets a pass and deflects it to Neymar who shoots it from a distance but the ball bounces over the bar

As things stand, Brazil will take on Mexico while Switzerland will face Sweden

82 minute: Another substitution for Serbia, Radonjic on, Kostic off

81 minute: Substitution for Brazil, Renato Augusto on, Coutinho off

78 minute: Serbia are taking it easy. Not pressing hard, they seem to have given up

76 minute: Substitution for Serbia, Zivkovic comes in, Ljajic goes

74 minute: Mitrovic booked with Yellow card for Serbia prior to Brazil taking their corner

71 minute: Neymar makes a good attempt, takes the ball forward but the ball goes past for another Brazilian corner

Brazil 2-0 Serbia!

68 minute: Goal! Brazil doubles their lead. Neymar delivers a perfect corner Thiago Silva heads the ball into the Serbian goal post

66 minute: Substitution for Brazil! Fernandinho comes in, Paulinho goes

63 minute: An excellent header by Mitrovic but the ball goes straight into the hands of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson

59 minute: Meanwhile, in the other Group E match, Costa Rica score a goal, Switzerland 1-1 Costa Rica

55 minute: Brazil continue to dominate the possession, Brazil 55 per cent while Serbia 45 per cent

52 minute: Serbia attempt a shot taking the ball inside the penalty box but no it goes wide off the post 

48 minute: Nemanja Matic booked with Yellow card for a foul on Jesus

45 minute:  Serbia start the second half, with the two teams seem zealous enough to increase their goal count

Halftime! Brazil 1-0 Serbia, Switzerland 1-0 Costa Rica

2 minutes of stoppage time!

44 minute: Milkinkovic-Savic gets the ball, taking it forward. He then gets a free kick but it doesn't seem to have helped Serbia much

41 minute: Serbia earns a corner but Brazil's Casemiro clears it well

38 minute: Serbia now need to take their goal count to double, or else they will be heading back home

Brazil 1-0 Serbia

35 minute: Goal! Paulinho gets a great defence-spliting pass from Coutinho and he calmly lobs the ball over the Serbian goalkeeper for Brazil's first goal

32 minute: Ljajic booked for a foul on Neymar, gets Yellow card

In the other Group E match, Switzerland take lead. Switzerland 1-0 Costa Rica 

28 minute: Brazil dominating the possession as of now while Serbia fall back. The Brazilians have been executing some excellent attacks

24 minute: A close miss by Brazil. Neymar shot is headed for the goal but Serbian goalkeeper Stojkovic gets a touch and the ball goes past the goal line without any harm

21 minute: Serbia earns another corner but the ball is cleared by Alisson

18 minute: Brazil finding it difficult to make a way through the packed Serbian defence

Brazil can meet the fate of Germany and crash out from the World Cup if they lose to Serbia and Switzerland beat Costa Rica in the other Group E match

15 minute: Serbia manage a corner. Milinkovic-Savic takes the shot but the ball goes wide off

12 minute: Serbia's free-kick beyond the halfway line, which is whipped into the box

9 minute: First substitution for Brazil. Marcelo suffers injury, replaced by Filipe Luis

7 minute: Serbia gets a free kick but the cross is cleared

5 minute: Back to back attempt by Brazilians. Neymar and Jesus play a one-two but fail to beat the kepeer

2 minute: Nice attempt by Brazil to hit the net with Neymar crossing two players and taking the shot which edge pass the Serbian goal post

Kickoff!

Lineups

Brazil XI: Alisson, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Casemiro, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Marcelo, Paulinho, Willian, Fagner

Serbia XI: Vladimir Stojkovic, Antonio Rukavina, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Tadic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Milos Veljkovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Filip Kostic, Sergej Milinkovic, Nemanja Matic, Adem Ljajic

Pre-tournament favourites Brazil haven't been at their best in the first two games, playing out a 1-1 draw against the Swiss and having to wait until injury time to finally secure the goals and the win against lowly Costa Rica. Although the manner of victory should give them a lot of confidence, Brazil are expected to be unchanged from the side that beat Costa Rica.

Serbia, meanwhile, are coming into the game on the back of a deflating 1-2 loss to Switzerland. Serbia were leading for much of the first half courtesy Aleksandar Mitrovic's goal in the fifth minute. But twin strikes from Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri took the game away from them. They will have to lift their game by few notches against Brazil who have the likes of Phillipe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus to cause more than worry.

Brazil full squad: 

Goalkeepers - Alisson, Ederson, Cassio

Defenders - Danilo, Fagner, Pedro Geromel, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Miranda, Marcelo, Filipe Luis

Midfielders - Casemiro, Fernandinho, Renato Augusto, Fred, Coutinho, Paulinho, Willian

Forwards - Douglas Costa, Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar, Taison

Serbia full squad: 

Goalkeepers - Marko Dmitrovic, Predrag Rajkovic, Vladimir Stojkovic

Defenders - Branislav Ivanovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Milan Rodic, Antonio Rukavina, Uros Spajic, Vladimir Stojkovic, Dusko Tosic, Milos Veljkovic

Midfielders - Marko Grujic, Filip Kostic, Adem Ljajic, Nemanja Matic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luka Milivojevic, Nemanja Radonjic, Dusan Tadic, Andrija Zivkovic

Forwards - Luka Jovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Aleksandar Prijovic