Serbia looked to pull off a South Korea-esque upset as they faced Brazil looking for a win that could've secured their place in the Round of 16, but a solid display from the Brazilians saw them progress one step further towards their goal of becoming World Champions for the sixth in their history.
The game began with Brazil on the front foot, with Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Coutinho looking to create problems for Serbia. Mladen Krstajic's resorted to crosses from the likes of Aleksander Kolarov and Dusan Tadic in a bid to nick an early goal.
Marcelo had to be subbed off in the 10th minute for Atletico Madrid man Filipe Luis due to an injury, but the change didn't have an adverse effect on Brazil's play, with Luis often starting off attacks from deep.
Brazil's breakthrough came in the 36th minute as Philippe Coutinho found Paulinho with a lofted through ball before the Barcelona man lobbed it above Vladimir Stojkovic and into the back of the net.
Brazil took the 1-0 lead into the half-time break and returned looking to double it in a bid to secure a 1st place finish in Group E.
Serbia began to mount pressure on Brazil's defence from around the 6th-minute as they repeatedly launched crosses and cut-backs into the box hoping to find Mitrovic. Serbia's streak of chances prompted Tite to bring Fernandinho on in a bid to shore up his side's midfield.
Brazil doubled their lead in the 68thminute through a corner kick as Thiago Silva headed the ball into the near post to put his side in a safer position.
Neymar made attempts to score Brazil's 3rdgoal for the remainder of the game, even nearly finding the back of the net through a mistake from Stojkovic in stoppage time, but the tie ended with Brazil progressing into the Round of 16 thanks to a 2-0 victory over Serbia.
WORLD CUP - GROUP E
Serbia - 0
Brazil - 2 (Paulinho 36', Thiago Silva 68')
Spartak Stadium, Moscow - 44,190
