Mitrovic on target as Serbia soar to heap pressure on winless Switzerland
With Serbia and Switzerland essentially competing against each other to avoid relegation from Group A4, you’d have been forgiven for expecting a brighter start from two sides desperate to beat the other.
It turned out to be quite the opposite though, as the only bright spot in an incredibly dull start came when Veljko Birmancevic’s tame effort was easily gathered by Gregor Kobel.
It took until just after the half-hour mark for the game's first big chance to arrive, but it was wasted by Breel Embolo who skewed wide after he was teed up by Silvan Widmer.
That miss proved a costly one before the break too, when in first-half stoppage time, Serbia took the lead against the run of play.
There was certainly a huge element of fortune in how it came about, as Lazar Samardzic’s wicked delivery caught the Swiss defence off guard and deflected in off the outstretched leg of Nico Elvedi.
It was the Serbian defence caught off guard in the infancy of the second half when a well-worked short corner was prodded home by Embolo, but Dan Ndoye was adjudged to have strayed offside in the build-up and Serbia’s clean sheet remained intact a little longer.
That was proof that the Serbian defence were living a charmed life, but it was in fact the Swiss goal that was nestled next.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s endeavour saw him keep a lost cause in play, and he reaped the rewards of his tireless running when his thunderous right-footed effort found the top corner.
The lead ought to have been even more comfortable soon after when Luka Jovic’s header six yards from goal forced a stunning point-blank save out of Kobel.
His save gave the Swiss a platform to get back into the game, and they squandered a glorious chance to do so when Embolo fluffed his lines from the penalty spot after Kosta Nedeljković had shoved over Ndoye in the area.
Switzerland weren’t deterred by that miss and continued to probe for a way back into the game, twice spurning good opportunities from corners to halve the deficit heading into the closing stages.
They were never able to grab a consolation though, and they remain pointless in Group A4, leaving them staring down the barrel of a first-ever relegation out of League A.
Meanwhile, Serbia now look good value to survive in their maiden top-flight Nations League campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia)