Rajevac is a Serbian and this match must have been tough on his loyalties. He did not look too enthused after the Ghana win and he pushes away a bench player. It’s not an easy place to be. Serbia is a country that is extremely nationalistic- they are the direct inheritors of the Yugoslavian football legacy. On one level, his muted reaction is understandable but it did appear at odds with the historic significance of Ghana’s victory – as the first African nation to win a match in the first African World Cup.
What is a bit more odd is his statement that Ghana got lucky. The Serbian coach, Radomir Antic was in agreement.
“I congratulate Serbia, they played very well, and of course I congratulate my team,” Rajevac said. “They played well until the end. Serbia are a very good team, with very good individual players. “They played a wise game today, perhaps we got more lucky than them because we scored one goal and we obtained three points today. I hope Serbia can pick up six points from their next two games.”
If you saw the match, that was the last thing one would say. Ghana actually was far more enterprising in attack than Serbia – Anthony Ayew, Prince Tagoe, Kevin Prince Boateng, and Asamoah Gyan showed more alacrity and that right flank was quite active.
The Serbians were also unwise. Aleksandr Lukovic committing his second foul. He was already sitting on a yellow and all the commentators were in agreement that he deserved to go. Even more boneheaded was Zdravko Kuzmanovic’s handball. The spot kick was converted by Gyan. In fact for a so called “wise” team their choices left much to be desired. Pantelic and Krasic should have scored. But these two had nothing on Nikola Zigic missing the easiest of chances. They talk about his 6’8′ frame as if it is a direct correlation to goals. He is actually Antic’s inside joke. Serbia themselves were some recipient of some luck when Gyan’s angled shot hit the upright which came in the way from doubling their lead.
So the Serbians got unlucky. If that is the way they see it, fine. They looked more like a team lacking the self confidence to finish.