FOOTBALL COLUMN • As expected, Sweden fell to France in the round of 16 after having something close to divine protection in the first half, as France hit the post twice and Widell-Zetterström made some fine saves. But at the end of the half, the inevitable goal came: Mbappé, with a quick stepover, found himself free in the box and slotted the ball inside the far post in the 44th minute.

2–0 then followed in the second half, 52 minutes into the match, scored by Olise, before Mbappé struck again to seal the result. Sweden is out of the World Cup after a 3–0 loss—curtains!

Possession ended 61 to 39 percent in France’s favor, but it felt like much more, as the French were able to pass the ball almost undisturbed among themselves on Sweden’s half for long stretches. At one point, I counted over 25 passes before a Swede managed to touch the ball, and only then did France go for the finish.

Sweden never managed to establish themselves in France’s half, as they couldn’t keep the ball within the team for more than five passes before losing it. Sweden’s few chances mostly arose from counterattacks or long balls toward their forwards, but in the 88th minute, Sweden managed a one-two between Lindelöf and Gyökeres, giving Gyökeres a goal chance—where a better shot might have pulled a goal back.

It might be worth mentioning that the French team had only two ethnically French players in the starting eleven—the rest are of African descent. This is common in many teams, where black players have become increasingly established. Still, African nations themselves rarely go far in the World Cup: Morocco is the best so far, reaching fourth in 2022. Among Sub-Saharan countries, only Ghana, Senegal, and Cameroon have reached the quarterfinals. Maybe a team will go further this year?

It won’t be Ivory Coast, however, as our neighboring country Norway knocked them out and now meet Brazil in the round of 16—Brazil hasn’t impressed so far. Germany, who always make it far, were eliminated on penalties by Paraguay, sharing the same fate as the Netherlands, defeated by Morocco. It seems France, who will face Paraguay in the next match, will go far once again, having reached the final in each of the last two tournaments: a win over Croatia in 2018 and a penalty shootout loss to Argentina in 2022. Will it be another final for France? In two weeks, we’ll know.