Serbia lose 1-3 to Finland, miss 2027 Women's World Cup
The playoff second leg in Stara Pazova ended 1-3, 2-6 on aggregate. Finland meets Italy in the final round in November, while Serbia turns to the EURO 2029 cycle.
It was only the third minute at the FSS Sports Center in Stara Pazova when Ema Koivisto found space in the penalty area and beat goalkeeper Milica Kostic with a precise low shot. Serbia had carried a two-goal deficit from Tampere, and now needed to win back three.
The second leg of the first playoff round for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, played on October 13, ended 1-3 (1-1). Finland won the first match in Tampere on October 9 by the same score, 3-1, so the tie finished 6-2 in the visitors’ favor. In Tampere, Serbia’s only goal came from Vesna Milivojevic in the 82nd minute. The match in Stara Pazova was refereed by Marta Huerta de Aza of Spain.
How did Serbia get back to 1-1?
The equalizer came in the 27th minute and was no accident. Milivojevic sent a cross in from open play, and Finland’s Sumanen tried to stop the ball, only to change its path and put it into her own net. Before halftime, Miljana Ivanovic also threatened for Serbia with a hard shot from distance, but the Finnish goalkeeper pushed it out for a corner. The score held until the break, and the hosts let a chance for a bigger turnaround slip.
Serbia’s starting lineup was Kostic, Cavic, Slovic, Damjanovic, Frajtovic, Stupar, Blagojevic, Filipovic, Milivojevic, Stokic and Ivanovic. The association says the team played both matches weakened by injuries to several players.
Why did Finland go through?
The second half began the way the first had. In the 55th minute Finland worked the ball down the right and crossed to the far post, where Lehtola found the net with a bit of luck for 1-2. Head coach Lidija Stojkanovic answered in the 64th minute with a triple substitution: Milovanovic came on for Cavic, Stefanovic for Blagojevic, and Sremcevic for Stokic. Scepanovic (80th minute) and Bulatovic (86th minute) came on later.
In the 71st minute Kostic saved the first shot, then got back up and stopped the follow-up with her foot, a strike that looked like a certain goal. It was not enough to avoid defeat overall. In the 88th minute Ulenius won her way into a good position on her own and finished precisely for the final 1-3. Finland, coached by Marko Saloranta, kept the initiative even after taking the lead, according to a statement from the Football Association of Serbia.
What happens after the elimination?
Finland plays the final round of the World Cup playoff against Italy in November. Serbia misses out on Brazil, and the next chance is a new qualifying cycle, for the 2029 European Championship. Our women’s national team has so far not played at either a World Cup or a European Championship.
Two matches and the same 1-3 score come down to one calculation: Serbia equalized in Stara Pazova in the 27th minute but never found a second goal, and Finland scored twice more. The next time Serbia takes this stage will be when the EURO 2029 qualifying cycle begins.
