Serbia and Montenegro national football team facts for kids
| to 1992–2006 | |||
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.png)   Yugoslavia and  Serbia and Montenegro |
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| Nickname(s) | Plavi / Плави (The Blues) |
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| Association | Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Football Association of Yugoslavia (1992–2003) |
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| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Ilija Petković (last) | ||
| Captain | Dejan Stanković (last) | ||
| Most caps | Savo Milošević (101) | ||
| Top scorer | Savo Milošević (35) | ||
| FIFA code | SCG (2003–2006) FRY (1992–2003) |
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| FIFA ranking | |||
| Highest | 6 (December 1998) | ||
| Lowest | 101 (December 1994) | ||
| Elo ranking | |||
| Highest | 4 (June 1998) | ||
| Lowest | 39 (June 2006) | ||
| First international | |||
 Brazil 2–0 Yugoslavia (Porto Alegre, Brazil; 23 December 1994) Serbia and Montenegro 2–2 Azerbaijan  (Podgorica, Serbia and Montenegro; 12 February 2003) |
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| Biggest win | |||
 Faroe Islands 1–8 Yugoslavia (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 6 October 1996) Serbia and Montenegro 5–0 San Marino  (Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro; 13 October 2004) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||
 Argentina 6–0 Serbia and Montenegro (Gelsenkirchen, Germany; 16 June 2006)  Netherlands 6–1 Yugoslavia (Rotterdam, Netherlands; 25 June 2000)  Czech Republic 5–0 Yugoslavia (Prague, Czech Republic; 6 September 2002) |
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| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1998) | ||
| Best result | Round of 16 (1998) | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2000) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2000) | ||
The Serbia and Montenegro national football team was a special football team that played for the country called Serbia and Montenegro. Before 2003, this team was known as the FR Yugoslavia national football team because the country was then called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
This team was controlled by the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006, the country split into two new countries: Serbia and Montenegro. Because of this, the football team also split. The Serbia national football team continued the history of the old team, and a new Montenegro national football team was created.
Even though the country changed, FIFA and UEFA (the big football organizations) decided that the Serbia and Montenegro team was the direct follower of the older Yugoslavia national football team. This meant they could keep the records and history of the Yugoslav teams.
History of the Team
Starting the Journey (1994–1998)
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed in 1992. However, its sports teams were not allowed to play in international events for a while. This was due to international rules.
The football team played its first game on December 23, 1994. It was a friendly match against Brazil, which they lost 2–0. This was the first team made up only of players from Serbia and Montenegro. Slobodan Santrač became their first coach.
Because of the sanctions, the team could not play in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification or the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying.
On March 31, 1995, the team won its first official game. They beat Uruguay 1–0 in Belgrade. This was also their first home game. Savo Milošević scored the first goal for the new team.
A year later, they won their first World Cup qualifying match. They beat the Faroe Islands 3–1. Soon after, they had their biggest win ever, beating the Faroe Islands 8–1.
Yugoslavia finished second in their qualifying group, behind Spain. This meant they had to play in a play-off to qualify for the World Cup. They played against Hungary and won easily, 7–1 in Budapest and 5–0 in Belgrade. The total score was 12–1, which sent them to their first World Cup as a new country.
Playing in the 1998 World Cup
Many people thought Yugoslavia could do very well in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They had many talented players. They were in Group F with Germany, the United States, and Iran.
Yugoslavia won their first game 1–0 against Iran. The next game was a 2–2 draw against Germany. Yugoslavia was leading 2–0, but Germany came back. They then beat the United States 1–0. Yugoslavia finished second in their group.
In the next round (Round of 16), Yugoslavia played against the Netherlands. The Netherlands scored first. Yugoslavia tied the game with a goal from Slobodan Komljenović. Later, Yugoslavia got a penalty kick, but Predrag Mijatović hit the crossbar. In the last moments of the game, Edgar Davids scored for the Netherlands, and Yugoslavia lost 2–1. This ended their World Cup journey.
Euro 2000 Tournament
The qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2000 were exciting. Yugoslavia was in a group with Croatia, which was a big deal because of past events. They also played against the Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, and Malta.
The team started well with a 1–0 win against Ireland. They also beat Malta twice. A big game against Croatia in Belgrade ended 0–0. After a loss to Ireland, they won both games against Macedonia.
In their final qualifying game, Yugoslavia drew 2–2 with Croatia in Zagreb. This result was enough for them to qualify for Euro 2000.
Playing in Euro 2000
In the Euro 2000 tournament, Yugoslavia was in Group C with Spain, Norway, and Slovenia.
In their first match against Slovenia, Yugoslavia was losing 3–0. But they made an amazing comeback, scoring three goals in six minutes to draw 3–3! They then beat Norway 1–0 with a goal from Savo Milošević.
Their last group match was against Spain. Yugoslavia led three times, but Spain scored two late goals to win 4–3. Even with the loss, Yugoslavia finished second in the group and moved to the next round.
In the quarter-finals, Yugoslavia played the Netherlands again. This time, the Netherlands won easily, 6–1. Patrick Kluivert scored three goals for them.
One of the best players for Yugoslavia in this tournament was Savo Milošević. He was one of the top scorers, with five goals.
Challenges and Changes (2002–2006)
The team faced difficulties during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification. The country was going through political changes, and the coach, Ilija Petković, left after just one game.
Under new coaches, the team struggled. They drew two games they should have won and lost at home to Russia. This was their first home loss in official matches. They ended up finishing third in their group and did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
The Road to the 2006 World Cup
Ilija Petković returned as coach in 2003. The country's name also officially changed to Serbia and Montenegro. They tried to qualify for UEFA Euro 2004, but did not succeed. They drew both games against strong team Italy and beat Wales twice, but losses and a draw against Azerbaijan cost them.
However, Serbia and Montenegro had a fantastic run in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. They finished first in their group, ahead of Spain, without losing a single game! Their defense was incredibly strong. They only let in one goal in ten matches. This was the best defensive record of all 51 teams in the qualifiers. The "Famous Four" defense included Nemanja Vidić, Mladen Krstajić, Goran Gavrančić, and Ivica Dragutinović, with Dragoslav Jevrić as goalkeeper.
On June 3, 2006, Montenegro became an independent country from Serbia. But since the World Cup was about to start, the team that had qualified played in the tournament. They represented a country that no longer existed. Only one player from Montenegro, goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevrić, was in the squad.
2006 World Cup Performance
In the group stage, Serbia and Montenegro lost their first game 1–0 to the Netherlands. Then, they had their worst international result ever, losing 6–0 to Argentina.
With these two losses, the team could not qualify for the next round. Their final group match was against the Ivory Coast. Even though Serbia and Montenegro led 2–0 in the first half, Ivory Coast came back to win 3–2. This meant Serbia and Montenegro finished the World Cup with three losses and no points, marking the end of the team's history.
What Happened Next?
After the World Cup, the Football Association of Montenegro asked to join UEFA as a separate country. The Football Association of Serbia took over Serbia and Montenegro's spot in UEFA and FIFA.
The new Serbia national football team played its first game in August 2006. The Montenegro national football team played its first international match in March 2007.
Team Uniforms
Kit Suppliers
The team had different companies make their uniforms over the years:
| Kit supplier | Period |
|---|---|
 Adidas |
1994–2001 |
 Lotto |
2002–2006 |
Major Tournaments Played
FIFA World Cup Appearances
- 1994: Not allowed to play due to international rules.
- 1998: Reached the Round of 16 (as FR Yugoslavia).
- 2002: Did not qualify.
- 2006: Played in the Group Stage (as Serbia and Montenegro).
UEFA European Championship Appearances
- 1992: Qualified, but not allowed to play due to international rules.
- 1996: Not allowed to play.
- 2000: Reached the Quarter-finals (as FR Yugoslavia).
- 2004: Did not qualify.
Team Coaches
Here are the coaches who led the team:
- Slobodan Santrač (1994 – July 1998)
- Milan Živadinović (August 1998 – 1999)
- Vujadin Boškov (1999 – July 2000)
- Ilija Petković (August 2000 – January 2001)
- Milovan Đorić (February 2001 – May 2001)
- A group of three coaches: Dejan Savićević, Vujadin Boškov, and Ivan Ćurković (May 2001 – December 2001)
- Dejan Savićević (December 2001 – June 2003)
- Ilija Petković (July 2003 – June 2006)
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See also
- Serbia and Montenegro national football team results
