Japan booked a World Cup last-32 meeting with Brazil after drawing 1-1 with Sweden on Thursday, a result that sent both teams through from Group F behind group winners the Netherlands.
Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead early in the second half before Anthony Elanga equalised six minutes later in front of a crowd of 70,000 in Texas. Sweden finished the stronger side and came close to snatching victory, but Japan held on to secure second place in the group.
The Netherlands topped Group F with seven points after defeating Tunisia 3-1 in Kansas City. Japan finished second on five points, while Sweden progressed with four points as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams. Tunisia ended their campaign without a point.
The Dutch will face Morocco in Monterrey, while Japan takes on Brazil in Houston. Sweden’s next opponents have yet to be confirmed, although France remains a possible matchup.
Japan defeated Brazil 3-2 in a friendly at home last October, and coach Hajime Moriyasu believes that result will provide extra motivation for the South American side.
“Perhaps because of that match, they will be motivated even more,” he said.
“Yet we do believe that there’s a chance for us to win.
“And then we hope that we will be able to move one step further and get to the next stage.”
Sweden coach Graham Potter responded to his side’s 5-1 defeat by the Netherlands in their previous match by changing his goalkeeper and handing Anthony Elanga a place in the starting line-up.
“We had to defend the box and wide areas better,” the Englishman said.
“The boys were fantastic.
“Over the course of the game it was a pretty fair result and arguably we were slightly the better team in the second half.”
Looking ahead to the knockout stage, Potter said: “It’s a tricky one.
“We need to be on our toes in terms of logistics, that’s the fun part of the tournament.”
All three of the leading teams entered the final round of Group F matches with a chance of finishing first. The Netherlands and Japan, who had drawn 2-2 earlier in the group stage, were all but certain to qualify, while Sweden remained well placed after thrashing Tunisia 5-1 before suffering a 5-1 defeat to the Dutch.
With the Netherlands racing into an early two-goal lead against Tunisia, updates on the giant screen inside the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium confirmed they were on course to win the group. Meanwhile, both Japan and Sweden knew a draw would be enough to send them through, and the cautious opening half reflected the stakes.
Japan controlled possession for long periods, limiting the influence of Premier League forwards Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres. The best chance before the break fell to Keito Nakamura, whose effort was pushed around the post by goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
Japan continued to dominate after the interval. Ao Tanaka fired over before the breakthrough arrived in the 56th minute. Ritsu Doan slipped Maeda through on goal, and the Celtic forward calmly rolled the ball past the advancing Zetterstrom.
Sweden responded almost immediately. Elanga cut inside from the right and curled a left-footed strike from outside the penalty area beyond goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to level the score.
The equaliser shifted the momentum. Sweden pushed for a winner, but Suzuki denied both Isak and Elanga late on before making another close-range save from Isak’s header during seven minutes of added time to preserve the draw and secure Japan’s place in the knockout stage.
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