MOSCOW, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic said Brazil deserve to be ranked among the World Cup favorites after their 2-0 victory over his team on Wednesday, a result that eliminated the European side from the tournament.
Paulinho and Thiago Silva scored either side of halftime at Spartak Stadium as Brazil claimed top spot in Group E.
"They are not just favorites now. Even before the World Cup they were among the favorites to win," Krstajic told a news conference after the match.
"Germany, Spain, Argentina were in that group. But anything can happen. We saw Germany knocked out today. Brazil are certainly one of the favorites to win."
Brazil looked in control for most of the match, except for a brief period in the second half when Serbia bombarded the South American team's goal.
Krstajic said his players had given their all in their first major competition since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
"We came to show our true colors after eight years of missing major tournaments," he said. "We can be very pleased with the attitude of the players. It was a hard season. Most players played more than 50 games for their club sides. They gave their all but there were situations where we could have done better.
Serbia finished the group stage with three points from their three matches, having beaten Costa Rica and lost to Switzerland before Wednesday.
Krstajic added: "I want to congratulate the Brazil players for the deserved win and my players for the sacrifice and the fight they showed. I think we were on the front foot in the first half, apart from the situation that led to Brazil's goal. But these are moments when you have to be focused against teams like Brazil. In the second half we tried to play with more risk."
