Anthony Elanga’s goal helped Sweden reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage, but his reaction after the 1-1 draw against Japan became the talking point.

Elanga scored in Sweden’s final Group F match on Friday, but he believed the draw had ended their tournament journey.

The winger pushed his teammates to chase another goal before the final whistle, unaware that Sweden had qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.

Sweden finished third in Group F, behind Japan, but secured a place in the round of 32 due to the tournament’s qualification rules.

Teammate Alexander Isak revealed that he had to calm down Elanga after the match, jokingly criticising his misunderstanding.

“He got a little scolding from me there. He was a little frustrated at the end of the match,” Isak told reporters.

“You can understand that now. He was obviously desperate for us to score another goal.”

Elanga later explained that he was only focused on finding a winner and did not know the exact qualification situation.

“I just shouted, come on, we can go for more. I got cramp at the end but didn’t want to stop running,” he said.

The Manchester United forward’s determination was clear during the closing stages as Sweden looked for a late winner.

Japan secured second place in Group F with the draw, while one point was enough for Sweden to move into the knockout rounds.

Sweden head coach Graham Potter took a lighter view of Elanga’s confusion and praised his attitude.

“It couldn’t have been any clearer for him. He’s obviously thinking about something else, bless him,” Potter said.

“I love him at the moment, but dear me.”

Sweden will now wait for the completion of the group stage before discovering their Round-of-32 opponents.