Petar Stanić broke the deadlock for Serbia in the 19th minute, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead over Mexico in a friendly played in Toluca.
The early structure of the match left little doubt it would be physical and nervy. Serbia goalkeeper Filip Stanković was forced into three saves inside the first 10 minutes, and Dragojević picked up a yellow card in the 16th minute for pulling a shirt. The same minute saw coach Veljko Paunović step onto the touchline to argue with Mexicans over the taking of a ball — a small flare in a compact opening period.
The goal itself arrived three minutes later. Stanić’s strike moved the scoreboard in Serbia’s favor and handed the team an immediate, tangible response on the field after recent criticism.
That criticism is the reason this match matters beyond the scoreline. Serbia arrived in Toluca after a 3-0 loss to Cape Verde Islands and flew into Mexico to show progress. Paunović has spoken publicly about the need to repair the team’s impression, noting the squad’s first training session was hampered by Toluca’s high altitude and that extra effort will be required in the coming days. His experience coaching in Mexico — including time with Guadalajara’s Chivas and Tigres — gives him familiarity with conditions here.
The match itself has been the reflex of those pressures. Mexico increased attacking pressure after Stanić’s goal, probing in search of an equalizer and pushing Serbia deeper at moments. The early saves from Stanković underlined how fragile the lead could be; Serbia’s defense was tested when Mexico accelerated its attacks, and the yellow card to Dragojević highlighted a side still finding its discipline.
Selection and availability have also shaped how meaningful the result can be. Jovan Milošević, Andrija Živković and Strahinja Pavlović remained in Europe and were unavailable for the trip, leaving Paunović to rely on a narrower group of players to produce the response he has demanded since the Cape Verde defeat.
For now, the scoreline gives Serbia something concrete to build on in a high-stakes week. A 1-0 lead in Toluca against a host nation that will help stage the World Cup is a small but necessary correction of narrative; it changes the immediate optics for a team that wanted to show recovery rather than repeat the mistakes of the earlier loss.
Still, the match contains an obvious open question: can Serbia hold the advantage and translate this moment into a definitive improvement? Mexico’s ramped-up pressure after the goal and Stanković’s busy opening are reminders that the lead is neither safe nor the final verdict. Paunović has signaled the team must keep working — physically to counter altitude and mentally to erase the Cape Verde result — but whether those adjustments will produce a full turnaround in Toluca remains unresolved.
The decisive item left on the field is the final whistle. If Serbia can protect the 1-0 lead, Paunović will claim a first, necessary step toward repair; if Mexico levels, the friendly risks sharpening the questions that followed the 3-0 defeat. Either way, the outcome in Toluca will shape how quickly this squad can shift from damage control to momentum.
