 Afterwards, head coach Antić was very supportive of his new young defender, comparing him to Fernando Hierro.After starting against Sweden in a friendly, Subotić's first competitive start took place against Austria on 6 June just after the end of club season, partnering Nemanja Vidić in central defence (if only for one half, since Vidić got injured and replaced by Antonio Rukavina) — the contest in which Serbia displayed a very lethargic overall team effort and was lucky to win 1–0 after numerous defensive breakdowns.Four days later, on 10 June 2009, Subotić scored his first goal for Serbia in a fairly straightforward 2–0 win over the Faroe Islands.