Sweden, Japan Draw 1-1 to Advance to World Cup Knockout Rounds

Sweden salvaged a 1-1 draw with Japan as both sides confirmed their progress to the World Cup knockout rounds after Anthony Elanga curled in a 62nd-minute equaliser to earn his side a share of the points in Group F.

Elanga struck six minutes after Daizen Maeda had finished off a team move of the highest quality for Japan, who finish second in the group with five points to set up a last 32 clash with five-time world champions Brazil.

The Swedes remain third with four points, and that will be enough to secure one of the eight slots available in the next phase for the best third-placed teams across the 12 groups.

The points were shared after a tepid first half that only showed signs of life moments before the interval on Thursday.

Keito Nakamura went closest to opening the scoring, the Japan winger hitting a low first-time strike from Maeda’s layoff that forced Jacob Widell Zetterstrom into a full-stretch save to push the ball around his left post.

Viktor Gyokeres then found space at the other end to drive towards goal, with a deflection from Shogo Taniguchi looping the resulting shot well wide of the target.

The Japanese came out for the second half with intent, with Ao Tanaka’s wayward strike underlining that Hajime Moriyasu’s side would not be content to sit back and take a point.

The dynamism of their play was rewarded when Maeda applied the finishing touch to an exquisite team goal instigated by Ritsu Doan.

The winger received a return pass from Ayase Ueda as he cut in from the right and slid the ball into the space between the Swedish centre-backs for the unmarked Maeda to stroke his shot home.

Japan’s lead was to last six minutes, however, as Elanga contributed a quality finish of his own to equalise, bending a left-foot strike from the corner of the area over the Japanese defence and past the unsighted Zion Suzuki.

Suzuki had to be at his sharpest to keep the scores level three minutes later with a sprawling save to his left to keep out Alexander Isak’s attempt, as the Swedes belatedly started to show their attacking quality.

And the goalkeeper was on hand to deny Isak again in stoppage time, palming the forward’s header into the air to confirm a second-place finish for the Japanese.