Anthony Elanga struck his second goal of the tournament to secure Sweden a 1-1 draw with Japan in Arlington, Texas, sending them into the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams — though the path there was far from straightforward.
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Sweden opened the group with a 5-1 win over Tunisia before conceding the same scoreline to the Netherlands, leaving supporters uncertain which version of the team would appear for the decisive group match. Graham Potter steered the Swedes through playoff wins over Ukraine and Poland to reach the World Cup, but expectations shifted sharply once they arrived.
Potter’s Bold Selections Pay Off
With limited preparation time, Potter has stripped Sweden’s structure back to its essentials, though the side has yet to fully restore its reputation for defensive solidity and direct attacking threat. Against Japan, they conceded first — a composed goal that cut through the soft centre of their backline. As things stood at that moment, Sweden still ranked among the eight best third-placed sides, but the memory of the Dutch defeat loomed, and any further goals conceded could have dropped them out of contention entirely.
Elanga, handed a start after scoring against the Netherlands, settled matters. He cut in from the right and curled a precise equaliser past the unsighted goalkeeper, rewarding Potter’s selection call directly.
The goalkeeper question had already generated debate before kick-off. Potter dropped Kristoffer Nordfeldt in favour of Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, who earned just his fourth international cap. Zetterstrom was tested only three times, as the defensive unit responded to the change with composure.
Captain Victor Lindelof operated in a more advanced midfield position — an arrangement Potter and the Aston Villa defender handled without visible disruption. Sweden’s adaptability was tested further when centre-back Isak Hien went off injured in the first half, forcing Lindelof back into defence with Lucas Bergvall stepping into midfield. Late cramp then saw Lindelof replaced by Carl Starfeldt.
“You make a change and we lose and you guys are coming after me, that’s the life,” Potter said. “But, at the same time, I’ve been doing this for quite a while and you have to do what you think is right, and I’ll live and die by that.”
“Everyone’s been active in the organisation of the team, so it didn’t feel too much of a change for me, although I understand when you change the goalkeeper and you move Victor into midfield, it can be a big change.”
“If you’ve got the players with you, if you’ve got support from people outside, then you’ve got a chance.”
Sweden Wait to Learn Round of 32 Opponent
The final Group F standings saw the Netherlands top on seven points, Japan second on five, and Sweden third on four. Their Round of 32 opponents will only be confirmed once all groups conclude, and Potter showed no urgency to speculate.
“We were just delighted to be there and then, whoever we meet, we know we meet a top team, so we have to be ready,” he said.
“It’s a tricky one, because you can second guess — until we know, we won’t know. We have to probably recover the players first and make sure that physically we’re in a good place for whoever we play.”
“If you’d have said to me when we first came that that would be the challenge we face, I would have absolutely taken it, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Sweden face an uncertain wait, but they are through — and that alone represents a significant result given the turbulence of their group stage. Follow TipsGG for confirmed Round of 32 fixtures and previews as the knockout phase takes shape.
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