 Still an automatic choice under new national manager Javier Clemente, Žigić scored the only goal in Serbia's first competitive match as a separate country, a Euro 2008 qualifier at home to Azerbaijan in September 2006. He scored once, missed two more good chances and was then sent off for elbowing an opponent in stoppage time of the March 2007 qualifying defeat in Kazakhstan, so missed the next, a home draw with Portugal, and also missed the Finland fixture in June after surgery on a facial injury. He still scored seven goals as Serbia failed to qualify.
