Japan and Sweden each secured their knockout-stage berths by sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Arlington, Texas, on the final day of World Cup group play.
Japan took the lead in the 56th minute when Daizen Maeda controlled a precise pass from Ritsu Doan inside the penalty area and beat Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström with a right-footed shot.
Sweden equalized six minutes later. In the 62nd minute, Anthony Elanga restored parity with a superb left-footed strike from outside the box — his second goal of the tournament.
The goal brought Japan’s tally for this World Cup to seven, a new record for a single edition of the tournament for the country. Their previous best was six goals at the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Japan have now reached the knockout round in three consecutive World Cups — five times overall. They made the last 16 for the first time in 2002 as tournament co-hosts.
Sweden, who have been regular World Cup participants since 1994, also secured their third consecutive knockout-round appearance. Their 1994 debut in the United States ended with a third-place finish.
Late in the match, Sweden had a chance to win it outright. In injury time, Elanga’s shot was brilliantly saved by Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who also denied Alexander Isak’s header from the subsequent corner. The match ended 1-1.
In the group’s other match, Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 to finish as Group F champions with seven points. Japan are runners-up on five points and will face five-time world champions Brazil on 29 June, while Netherlands will meet Morocco in the knockout round.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report