Serbia heavily defeated in Lisbon: Cape Verde celebrated 3:0 in a friendly test
The Serbia national football team suffered a heavy defeat on May 31, 2026, in a friendly match against Cape Verde, who celebrated a 3:0 win in Lisbon. The match was played at Belenenses' stadium, and according to the report of the Football Association of Serbia, it was the first of two June tests for the team of head coach Veljko Paunović. Serbia played in a significantly changed, younger and incomplete lineup, but the result and the manner in which the match was lost opened a series of questions about squad depth, organization of play and the team's reaction after losing the ball. Cape Verde, a national team preparing for its first appearance at the World Cup, used its chances much more efficiently and punished almost every major mistake by the opponent.
According to the official report of the Football Association of Serbia, the goals for Cape Verde were scored in the 11th, 59th and 63rd minutes. The Association listed K. Pina, Duarte and Tavares as the scorers, while Index, in its match report, attributed the first goal to Kevin Lenini and the third to Benchimol. Both sources confirmed the same final result, a convincing 3:0 victory for Cape Verde, as well as the course of the match in which Serbia, after conceding the first goal, had periods of initiative, but without enough precision and concreteness in the final third. The difference in listing the scorers shows that some data in the first reports differed, but the official match record of the Football Association of Serbia remains the most important source for lineups, substitutions and basic information about the match.
An early goal changed the match
Cape Verde took the lead already in the opening phase of the match. According to the description by the Football Association of Serbia, the move began with a run down the right side and a cutback into the center of the penalty area, where a player of the home national team was left unmarked and, with a turn and shot, sent the ball into Filip Stanković's net. That goal, regardless of the difference in media records concerning the scorer's name, determined the rhythm of the first half. After falling behind, Serbia tried to gain possession and move play into the opponent's half, but lacked speed in ball circulation and composure in the final third of the pitch.
In the first half, there were not many clear chances for Veljko Paunović's team. According to the FSS report, Serbia most often threatened after set pieces, while the final pass was lacking in open play. Such an impression fit the image of a lineup that was not well coordinated and in which players with different levels of international experience played together. Cape Verde did not need to have constant initiative in order to look dangerous. Their advantage lay in a simpler way of playing out of pressure, faster attacks into space and a better reaction after winning the ball.
Serbia had problems controlling the rhythm in midfield, especially in moments when it lost the ball and left too much space behind its midfielders. This allowed the opponent to move relatively easily from defense to attack. Defensive transition, one of the key elements of modern international football, proved to be the biggest problem for the Serbian team in Lisbon. Even when Serbia had more of the ball at its feet, it did not manage often enough to bring attacks into situations from which the Cape Verde goalkeeper would have to make a more serious save.
A younger lineup and numerous absences
In its report, the Football Association of Serbia emphasized that the match came at an inconvenient time after a demanding club season and that head coach Paunović was without a large number of players. Serbia therefore began the match with several footballers who were given an opportunity in a new national-team context. Filip Stanković was in goal, while the starting lineup also included Nedeljković, Eraković, Pavlović, Avdić, Njegoš Petrović, Aleksandar Stanković, Živković, Kostov, Birmančević and Jovan Milošević. According to the FSS, Filip Stanković and Adem Avdić started as debutants, while Jovan Milošević, Vasilije Kostov and Njegoš Petrović received important minutes from the first minute.
Such a choice of lineup can explain part of the problems in automatisms, but not complete helplessness in the key moments of the match. National-team tests often serve precisely to examine new solutions, expand competition and check who can respond to the demands of international football. A defeat in a friendly match does not in itself have to carry long-term consequences, but the way in which Serbia conceded goals and lost control of space in Lisbon will certainly be material for a detailed analysis by the coaching staff. This especially applies to reactions after lost duels and to the distance between the back line and the midfield.
Paunović made several substitutions at halftime and tried to change the rhythm of the match. According to the FSS report, Dejan Zukić, Vladimir Lučić, Lazar Ranđelović and Nikola Štulić were given a chance in the second half. Later, Ognjen Mimović, Nikola Simić, Vukašin Đurđević, Vanja Dragojević and Mihailo Ivanović came on. The changes brought a better start for Serbia in the second half, more energy and more concrete movement in attack, but not a goal that would have brought the match back into uncertainty.
Serbia's best period ended with punishment from counterattacks
Serbia's best minutes came at the beginning of the second half. According to the Football Association of Serbia, the team then created several chances, with two situations involving Vladimir Lučić singled out in particular. In the 53rd minute, after his attempt, the ball ended up on the post at a moment when the Cape Verde goalkeeper had already been beaten. Nikola Štulić also tried, but the opposing goalkeeper managed to stop the shot and preserve his national team's lead. That was the period in which Serbia looked livelier, more aggressive and closer to equalizing than at any point in the first half.
Precisely at the moments when it seemed Serbia might get to 1:1, Cape Verde delivered the decisive blow. Duarte increased the lead in the 59th minute, and only four minutes later the third goal was scored, attributed by the FSS to Tavares, while Index listed it as Benchimol's goal. Both goals came after quick attacks, which further highlighted Serbia's weaknesses in recovery runs and closing down space. Instead of a return to the match, the better start to the second half ended in a complete collapse on the scoreboard.
Such an outcome is often the most difficult for coaching analysis because it shows two opposite images of the same team. On the one hand, Serbia showed that it can raise intensity and create chances when it changes rhythm and introduces fresher players. On the other hand, as soon as it left space behind its back, the opponent managed to punish insufficient compactness and make the difference. In a friendly match this does not carry a competitive price, but the message is clear: without better protection of midfield and a faster reaction after losing the ball, it is difficult to control a match, even against an opponent that nominally has a weaker international status.
Cape Verde confirmed that its qualification for the World Cup was no coincidence
The victory in Lisbon has special weight for Cape Verde because it comes ahead of its first appearance at the World Cup. According to FIFA, that national team secured a historic qualification with a 3:0 victory against Eswatini in the qualifiers and thus won first place in its African group ahead of Cameroon. At the moment of qualification, FIFA highlighted that this is a country with slightly more than half a million inhabitants and one of the least populated countries ever to qualify for the final tournament of the World Cup. That fact further underlines the scale of the success of a national team that in recent years has established itself as one of the most interesting stories in African football.
In football terms, Cape Verde has long no longer been merely an exotic opponent. A large part of its national-team strength is connected with players from the diaspora, especially from Portuguese, Dutch and French football environments. Such a model made it possible to create a competitive team, capable of disciplined defending and quick transition. Against Serbia, exactly that was visible on the pitch: the Cape Verde national team did not necessarily dominate through long possession, but it knew where it could find space and how to punish mistakes. Efficiency in front of goal was the main difference between the two teams.
According to the World Cup schedule published by FIFA, Cape Verde will play in Group H with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. They are expected to play their first match against Spain on June 15, 2026, in Atlanta. The group is very demanding, but the expanded competition format with 48 national teams and the progression of the best third-placed teams into the knockout stage gives additional importance to every match. In that context, the victory against Serbia is not only a friendly result, but also a confirmation of confidence before a historic appearance on the biggest stage.
What the defeat means for Paunović's Serbia
For Serbia, the match in Lisbon is above all a warning. Paunović had the right to test new players and expand the circle of candidates, but a national team that wants stability must show a recognizable system even in such circumstances. In this match, the most prominent problems were in midfield, the lack of connection between the lines and excessive gaps in moments when the opponent's counters had to be defended. The attacking part of the game was also not convincing enough, although the changes in the second half brought liveliness and several good situations.
The period from the 50th to the 63rd minute will be analyzed in particular. Serbia then had its best chances, hit the post and looked like a team that could bring the match back into balance on the scoreboard. Instead, in a short span it conceded two goals and lost every possibility of a comeback. Such drops in concentration and organization are often decisive in competitive matches, and the friendly encounter in Lisbon showed how quickly a positive phase of play can be undone if the team is not sufficiently protected in defensive balance.
The psychological aspect should not be ignored either. After conceding an early goal, the younger team did not find a calm way to build the match. There were attempts, but too few developed attacks and too few secure solutions under pressure. In such a context, the experience from Lisbon can be useful only if the causes of the defeat are clearly identified. For young players, matches of this kind can serve as a test of level, but for the coaching staff they are also a check of whether the wider squad can withstand the demands of the international rhythm.
A trip to Mexico in Toluca follows
According to the Football Association of Serbia, after the match in Lisbon the national team travels to Mexico, where on June 5 it faces a new friendly test against Mexico in Toluca. The FSS states that this is a match against one of the hosts of the World Cup, and for the European audience the kickoff is during the night from June 4 to June 5 at 4 o'clock Central European Time. That match will be a different test because Mexico, in the final phase of preparations for the home tournament, has a strong competitive motive and will play in conditions that are demanding for visiting teams.
For Paunović and his staff, the most important thing will be to see the reaction after the defeat. Friendly matches in this part of the year are often burdened by fatigue, absences and experiments, but they still shape the impression of the national team's direction. Against Mexico, Serbia must show more compactness, more discipline in recovery runs and a clearer idea in attack. The defeat to Cape Verde does not have to be a turning point, but it can become a serious warning if the same problems are repeated.
In Lisbon, therefore, the most important message was that squad depth does not mean much without clear automatisms. Cape Verde used the match to further strengthen the positive atmosphere ahead of the World Cup, while Serbia received a painful reminder that international matches rarely forgive an opponent who loses structure. The final 3:0 is not only the result of one friendly test, but a summary of a match in which one national team was more efficient, more organized and calmer in the key moments, while the other was left without an answer when the match demanded stability and precision.
Sources:
- Football Association of Serbia – official match report from Cape Verde - Serbia 3:0, lineups, scorers, substitutions and announcement of the next test against Mexico (link)
- Index Sport – match report, result, course of the encounter and additional context about Cape Verde ahead of the World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official announcement about Cape Verde's historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup and the national team's qualification path (link)
- FIFA – official schedule and information about the 2026 World Cup, including the 48-team format and Group H matches (link)