Serbia faces Mexico in Toluca friendly ahead of World Cup

Serbia's national team played a preparatory friendly against hosts Mexico at the Estadio Nemesio Díez in Toluca early on 4 a.m. local time. The squad arrived without several regular starters – Jovan Milošević, Andrija Živković and Strahinja Pavlović – and fielded players such as goalkeeper Lazar Stanković, defender Nemanja Eraković and forward Petar Stanić.

The match opened with Mexico pressing aggressively; a shot by veteran forward Gutierrez hit the outer post in the 9th minute. Serbia’s goalkeeper Stanković made two crucial saves shortly after, earning praise as a “miraculous goalkeeper”. In the 16th minute, Serbia earned a penalty after a foul on Dragojević, but the referee issued a yellow card instead. The decisive moment came in the 23rd minute when Petar Stanić received the ball, dribbled past two Mexican defenders and calmly slotted the ball to give Serbia a 1‑0 lead. The goal was described as “the decisive action and goal of the Eagles”.

Serbian forward Mihail Ivanović expressed confidence before the game, saying the stadium atmosphere was “fantastic” and that he “likes playing in such conditions”. Coach Veljko Paunović, familiar with Mexican football from his time at Tigres and Chivas, praised Mexico’s home advantage and tradition, noting they “have the quality to pass the group stage and achieve a historic result”.