Opinion: Kolarov comes out firing in Russia

Aleksandar Kolarov ensured his Serbia made the perfect start to their World Cup campaign, as his sublimely placed free kick proved the difference in their 1-0 win over Costa Rica last week.

Playing in his customary left-back role, the AS Roma dynamo undertook his duties on both sides of the ball with the utmost conviction, quality and nous. Leading from the front with intensity, aggression and determination, the Serbian captain set the tone wonderfully for his teammates to follow.

Pressing vigorously and intelligently, Kolarov reacted rapidly when a trigger presented itself, like his man receiving back to goal or in an open body posture, in a match where he generally made life as uncomfortable as possible for his opponents.

The imposing 32-year-old's hulking strength and aerial prowess were also prominent during the contest.

With the Eagles possessing vast talent in midfield and up front, Kolarov duly complemented this with his dynamic forward runs, technical proficiency and cohesive movement with his partner in crime down the left, Adem Ljajic.

To start with the latter, and he'd regularly rotate with Ljajic, as Kolarov would push up and Ljajic would drop deep, with these opposite movements causing indecision among their markers as to who should mark who when they interchanged.

Their relationship didn't stop there, though, for Ljajic would neatly manufacture space for his skipper by edging into central areas, thus ensuring Kolarov had oceans of space to maraud forward and use his speed to horizontally stretch the Costa Ricans.

An extremely accomplished dribbler and passer, he used his aptitude in these regards to incisively carry the ball upfield and to provoke pressing actions or to bypass the Costa Rican lines of pressure with his distribution.

Blending power and finesse in his passing especially, he launched raking yet delightfully weighted through balls upfield while also hitting precise ground passes with equal measures of effectiveness. The below graphics illustrate his wicked passing, with the first showing his penetrative ground pass to Ljajic and the second depicting his sumptuous through ball over the top to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Deservedly awarded the man of the match courtesy of his game defining impact, Kolarov and his colleagues will swiftly turn their attention to their next game against Switzerland. If they can gain maximum points here too, they'll have one step into the next round and take the onus of themselves needing a win over Brazil in their final group game.

With captain Kolarov crucial in giving Serbia a perfect start to the summer showpiece, you can guarantee he'll be doing all he can to propel the Eagles to even greater heights as the tournament progresses.