Anthony Elanga’s brilliant second-half strike earned Sweden a 1-1 draw against Japan.
Sweden booked their place in the World Cup Round of 32 after fighting back to earn a 1-1 draw against Japan in their final Group F match.
Japan took the lead in the 56th minute when Daizen Maeda finished a well-worked move involving Ayase Ueda and Ritsu Doan. However, Sweden responded just six minutes later through Anthony Elanga, whose powerful curling effort from the edge of the box beat goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to level the score.
The result leaves Graham Potter’s side third in Group F with four points, enough to qualify as one of the tournament’s advancing teams. Japan finished second behind the Netherlands and also progressed to the knockout stage.
Sweden endured a difficult group campaign, including a heavy defeat to the Netherlands, but recovered to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Japan, meanwhile, now prepares for a last-32 clash against five-time champions Brazil.
Sweden will discover their Round of 32 opponents after the remaining group matches are completed.
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