From despair to moving on, Sweden’s Anthony Elanga experienced those emotions in quick succession.
Elanga scored the only goal in Sweden’s 1-1 draw with Japan Thursday Night.
When the final whistle sounded, Elanga fell to his knees in sadness.
He thought that Sweden was eliminated from the World Cup with a draw.
“I didn’t know that one point was enough,” Elanga told Swedish media after the match. “I just shouted: ‘Come on, we can go for more.’ I’m glad we’re through. I didn’t know that at the end.”
But while Elanga thought about the flight home, his teammates celebrated as Sweden earned a spot in the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-place teams.
Sweden’s manager, Graham Potter, spotted Elanga after the game and was confused by the player’s reaction of the player.
2026 World Cup News
When he learned what Elanga was feeling, it all made sense to manage.
“That explains a few things then. It couldn’t have been any clearer for him, so he’s obviously thinking about something else then, bless him,” Potter said postgame. “I love him at the moment, but dear me.”
Sweden felt every emotion during their three group stage matches.
It started out in the best way possible, with a demolition of Tunisia 5-1, but Sweden then fell to the Netherlands, 5-1, in the second game.
The loss made the game against Japan critical — if Sweden failed to grab a point, it would have ruined their chances of advancing.
The game did not start well, as Japan grabbed the first goal in the 56th minute.
But it was Elanga who rescued Sweden with a 62nd-minute goal from just outside the box.
Sweden is still waiting to find out their Round of 32 matchup, though they’ll likely face the winner of Group I — which stands as either France or Norway, in New York.
