MOSCOW, June 18 — Serbia’s Aleksandar Kolarov had a good day in Samara: he scored a magnificent World Cup goal and was presented with a Lada by the governor.

The Roma defender struck a thunderous second-half free-kick that clinched Serbia a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica yesterday.

"Kolarov scored a wonderful goal and we gave him a prize — a certificate for a Lada 4x4,” acting governor Dmitry Azarov was quoted as saying by the Izvestia newpaper.

"He was very happy and the entire team celebrated the news.”

There was no comment from any of the Serbian players about what they thought of the gift.

The no-frills brand has been trying to improve its image after spending much of its history being the butt of jokes for its unreliability and outdated design.

Lada was called Zhiguli in the Soviet era and is still produced in the Samara region by the VAZ factory. — AFP