Costa Rica 0 Serbia 1
Group E was the only one not to feature any team with adidas kits. Costa Rica wear New Balance and it’s a tidy design, with narrow tonal stripes across the front representing DNA. White socks were the first choice with the home kit but they had to switch to a red back-up set.
Serbia were a late addition to the Puma stable, meaning they are wearing modified teamwear rather rather than a fully bespoke kit, but their away shirt still a nice offering, albeit with a mash of different shades of red.
Brazil 1 Switzerland 1
Having worn white shorts so much at the last World Cup, it was good to see Brazil back in their traditional look, with the shorts a slightly lighter shade of blue than recent years. Incidentally, their goalkeeper Alisson Becker had no pattern on his sleeves, while Brazil’s frontal numbers are central, unlike the other Nike countries.
Switzerland’s shirts feature a topographical map of the country. Their goalkeper Yann Sommer had a grey stripe on his black baselayer which kind of matched his shirt while referee César Arturo Ramos of Mexico opted to wear long sleeves.
Brazil 2 Costa Rica 0
Both sides were in their away kits. Brazil’s shirts featured a nice star motif in varying shades, referencing their previous five wins. The green trim on the socks looked somewhat out of place, though they would have worked well had they been used as home alternatives.
Costa Rica’s away kit didn’t use red and blue as accent colours but had black and gold instead. Black socks were the default for the away but here the primary home set, with blue trim, were used.
Serbia 1 Switzerland 2
Serbia’s home kit was a bit more prosaic than their away, featuring no accoutrements to the basic template.
In this all-Puma clash, Switzerland’s change kit was identical in style to the Uruguay away.
Serbia 0 Brazil 2
Another victory secured top spot for Brazil, with both sides in their first-choice kits. Serbian Vladimir Stojković wore the same grey-trimmed baselayer as Sommer.
Switzerland 2 Costa Rica 2
A bizarre late equalising own goal by Switzerland goalkeeper Sommer, when Joel Campbell’s penalty hit the post and bounced off his head and in, didn’t stop the Swiss taking second spot.
Sommer’s baselayer didn’t have a stripe this time while Switzerland wore their red shorts. Costa Rica’s away kit was worn in its intended form, with goalkeeper Keylor Navas wearing a third different kit.
