Sweden and Mexico both advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup as the former ran out 3-0 winners against the latter.
Below are four talking points from the game.
1. Sweden show remarkable resilience
Sweden’s path to the round of 16 has arguably been tougher than any of the other sides who have already booked their place in the knockout phase. After finishing above the Netherlands and a decent Bulgaria side in their qualification group, Janne Andersson’s men had to negotiate a two-legged play-off with four-time world champions Italy. They kept clean sheets both home and away to earn their place at the finals, where most people predicted a third-place finish.
Instead, the Swedes have topped the group and were perhaps a little unfortunate to not end the first round unbeaten. The improvement from their dire showing at Euro 2016 has been massive, and their ability to bounce back from the late heartache against Germany last time out deserves plenty of credit.
2. Mexico’s performance a concern
The bottom line is that Mexico have qualified for the round of 16, which was their principal target before the competition began. Yet this performance represents cause for concern for manager Juan Carlos Osorio, particularly as he named a strong starting XI for the match.
El Tri have looked more threatening on the counter-attack than in phases of established possession so far in Russia, and they struggled to create meaningful opportunities when allowed control of the ball here. Osorio will hope this was nothing more than an off-day, but it is certainly less than ideal preparation for their fourth game of the tournament.
3. Granqvist leads by example
Andreas Granqvist scored the winning goal from the penalty spot against South Korea, and his spot-kick to double the lead against the Mexicans was Sweden’s most important strike. It was a fantastic effort from 12 yards, the central defender keeping his composure to fire the ball into the top corner of the net.
Granqvist was excellent defensively too, reading the game brilliantly and putting his body in the way in and around the Swedish penalty area. The captain led by example and symbolises the resilience and grit of Andersson’s side.
4. How will these teams fare in the knockout phase?
Whoever faces Sweden in the last 16 will no doubt be satisfied by the draw, but it would be foolish to write this team off. As mentioned above, they have had an extremely difficult route to this stage of the tournament, and their organisation, work ethic and discipline means Switzerland, Brazil or Serbia will not be in for an easy game.
Mexico, meanwhile, must recapture the form they showed against Germany and South Korea in the next round. Their counter-attacking prowess makes them a threat, but potential opponents will have taken note of El Tri’s display in their final group game.
