A PAIR of fine goals lit up a game which ultimately changed nothing.
Japan retained second place in Group F and will play Brazil in Houston on Monday in the last 32, despite taking a second-half lead through Celtic’s Daizen Maeda.
Sign up for the Football newsletter
Thank you!
Anthony Elanga’s shot from range flew past Zion Suzuki Credit: Reuters
Daizen Maeda put Japan ahead after a slick team move Credit: Reuters
And Graham Potter’s Sweden remain most likely to face France in New Jersey on Tuesday after finishing third with four points thanks to Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga’s classy equaliser.
If Norway stun the French, it will be an all-Scandinavian ding dong, and there is an outside chance the Swedes could face Germany in Boston on Monday.
But essentially both teams looked happy to settle for a draw that would take each of them through to a tricky knockout tie.
Leaders Holland taking an early two-goal lead over Tunisia did not help this game as a contest.
READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP
WORLDIE OFFERS
World Cup 2026 free bets and offers: Best new football sign-up deals
BEEB BRAVERY
BBC presenter reveals he suffered seizure live on air at World Cup in Mexico
It threatened briefly to get interesting in the six minutes between the two goals.
But Elanga’s leveller and Holland’s restoration of their two-goal lead removed the incentive for either side to use up too much energy until a couple of late Sweden chances.
This is what happens when you let eight third-placed teams go through from a group stage.
A potentially exciting game between countries with lots of attacking talent becomes a cautious non-contest for most of the 90 minutes.
WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS
Both teams made three changes from their second group game.
The Japanese alterations felt more cosmetic, after their 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia.
But Potter dropped goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt following his unconvincing display in the 5-1 defeat by Holland.
You wondered how much difference it would make, if Derby County’s Jacob Widell Zetterstrom had to play behind the same hapless defence.
But he didn’t, as Victor Lindelof moved into midfield and Leeds defender Gabriel Gudmundsson into the back three.
Elanga started on the right of a front three, as a reward for giving Sweden brief hope against the Dutch with a goal and an energetic performance as a substitute.
Sweden started promisingly, and when Maeda went on an early slalom run, an entertaining game was in prospect.
Unfortunately, the urgency did not continue.
Only Elanga was offering much for the Swedes up front, with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both quiet.
Japan’s approach play was neat enough but without much of an end product. Maeda headed off target from a Hiroki Ito cross and that was about it.
Alexander Isak had a quiet game against Japan Credit: Reuters
Viktor Gyokeres was similarly anonymous for much of the game Credit: Getty
The news from Kansas City of Holland’s two early goals probably had an effect.
Both teams knew a draw would be enough to take them through, with not much to choose between their likely opponents regardless of where they finished.
Little of note happened for most of the rest of the half, apart from each side losing a centre-back to injury, in Ko Itakura and Isak Nien.
Finally, in the 45th minute, left wing-back Keito Nakamura forced Widell Zetterstrom into the first good save of the game.
And in stoppage-time, Gyokeres had a shot deflected wide.
The second half began with a little bit more energy, from Japan at least. Although it would have been hard for there to be less.
Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka fired over the bar and there were other moments of mild peril for the Swedish defence.
Potter’s men were still negligible as an attacking force, with Gyokeres spending much of his time rolling on the ground.
And shortly after the stadium heard Tunisia had pulled one back against the Dutch, Japan scored the first of the two goals they needed to steal top spot in the group.
Ritsu Doan found Maeda’s well-timed run with a fine pass and the Celtic man gave it the finish it deserved.
World Cup 2026 – all the info
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
This year’s World Cup is like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize.
England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought.
But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance.
JattvibeSport have got everything you need for the huge tournament
LATEST NEWS
KEY INFO
VIDEO
TIPS AND BETTING
If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue.
But then Holland made it 3-1 and Sweden decided to start trying to score.
It did not take them long.
Elanga received the ball, cut back and inside to the corner of the penalty area, and curled a left-foot shot past Zion Suzuki, who will feel he could have done better.
Suddenly, Sweden were hungry. Isak pounced on Japanese sloppiness and Suzuki redeemed himself a bit with a good save to his left.
After another lull, the Swedes initially looked keener to go for the win in the closing stages.
Defender Gustaf Lagerbielke sent a free header well wide.
Then Japan substitute Koki Ogawa stretched but could only direct a cross from Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada over the crossbar. Elanga and then Isak forced saves from Suzuki in stoppage time.
It would have made little difference if either effort had gone in, which is Fifa‘s fault, not the teams’.
