The Scandinavians experienced more than a few problems in Houston.
Graham Potter insisted that Sweden’s 5-1 loss to the Netherlands in Houston will be a lesson for his team.
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The England head coach chose to focus on the positives after the heavy beating from the Oranje – where Anthony Elanga only managed to score a consolation goal, after Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo with two goals each had put the Dutch in a completely dominant position.
Crysencio Summerville made it 5-1 late in the game, and Sweden made history – but in the bad way: the first team to lose their second World Cup match by four goals, after winning the opening match by exactly the same margin (5-1 against Tunisia).
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed. I think we did a lot of good things in the game,” Potter said.
“But obviously you can’t concede that many goals and expect to win. We will learn a lot from this. We played against a good team.”
“We have to accept it”
Potter, former manager of Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham, highlighted the willingness of the players – and insisted that the loss is something the team will reflect on.
“The guys kept fighting – they should have. They didn’t give up, but this was one of those games we’re going to learn a lot from,” he added.
“Sometimes you have to go through such experiences. It was simply one of those games. We have to accept it and learn from it.”
The next challenge for Sweden is a trip to Dallas to face Japan. One thing they know: if they avoid defeat, Potter’s men will be in a prime position to reach the round of 32.
