MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group F · Thursday, June 25 · Dallas Stadium, Dallas · 70,137 in the stands

kickoff 18:00 local · 33°C · 51% humidity · roofed stadium

Japan

56′ Daizen MAEDA (pen)

1:1

Sweden

62′ Anthony ELANGA (pen)

tap a player for their match file

Japan3-4-2-1
Sweden3-4-3
Zion SUZUKI7.6Yukinari SUGAWARA6.6Kou ITAKURA6.4Ayumu SEKO6.6Hiroki ITO6.4Ao TANAKA6.7Ritsu DOAN7.2Daizen MAEDA7.7Keito NAKAMURA7.1Daichi KAMADA6.9Ayase UEDA6.4Jacob WIDELL ZETTERSTROM6.4Gustaf LAGERBIELKE6.9Victor LINDELOF6.3Isak HIEN6.4Gabriel GUDMUNDSSON6.9Alexander BERNHARDSSON6.4Elliot STROUD6.5Yasin AYARI7.3Alexander ISAK7.0Anthony ELANGA7.9Viktor GYOKERES6.8
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′JPNSWE

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 56′Maeda0.60 xG
  • 62′Elanga0.02 xG
JPN 0:0 SWE0'kickoff
6' Bernhardsson — xG 0.04 · Saved15' Doan — xG 0.02 · Blocked22' Maeda — xG 0.08 · Missed40' Sugawara — xG 0.01 · Saved45' Nakamura — xG 0.06 · Saved45 + 3' Gyokeres — xG 0.03 · Blocked48' Tanaka — xG 0.05 · Missed50' Lagerbielke — xG 0.07 · Missed52' Ueda — xG 0.08 · Blocked56' Maeda — xG 0.60 · Goal62' Elanga — xG 0.02 · Goal65' Isak — xG 0.06 · Saved78' Svensson — xG 0.01 · Blocked79' Lindelöf — xG 0.19 · Missed79' Sema — xG 0.03 · Blocked81' Lagerbielke — xG 0.03 · Missed83' Ogawa — xG 0.31 · Missed90 + 3' Elanga — xG 0.06 · Saved90 + 4' Isak — xG 0.11 · Saved

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

JPN 0:0 SWE
0.51.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′56' Maeda — GOAL62' Elanga — GOAL1.210.65

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

JPN 3-4-2-1 attack →, ← SWE 3-4-3 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

1Zion SUZUKIZion SUZUKI2Yukinari SUGAWARAYukinari SUGAWARA4Kou ITAKURAKou ITAKURA20Ayumu SEKOAyumu SEKO21Hiroki ITOHiroki ITO7Ao TANAKAAo TANAKA10Ritsu DOANRitsu DOAN11Daizen MAEDADaizen MAEDA13Keito NAKAMURAKeito NAKAMURA15Daichi KAMADADaichi KAMADA18Ayase UEDAAyase UEDA1Jacob WIDELL ZETTERSTROMJacob WIDELL ZETTERSTROM2Gustaf LAGERBIELKEGustaf LAGERBIELKE3Victor LINDELOFVictor LINDELOF4Isak HIENIsak HIEN5Gabriel GUDMUNDSSONGabriel GUDMUNDSSON21Alexander BERNHARDSSONAlexander BERNHARDSSON24Elliot STROUDElliot STROUD18Yasin AYARIYasin AYARI9Alexander ISAKAlexander ISAK11Anthony ELANGAAnthony ELANGA17Viktor GYOKERESViktor GYOKERES

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

45%
Possession
45%
1.22
Expected goals
0.56
50
Threat
50
8
Shots
11
3
On target
5
381
Passes completed
330
42
Forced turnovers
37
18.6s
Ball recovery time
18.0s
3.33
High-press phases
4.9
12
Fouls committed
20
3
Offsides
2
110 km
Distance covered
111 km
35.0 km/h
Top speed
34.9 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Japan attack →, ← Sweden attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 32′Isak HIEN (Sweden) is booked by the referee.
  2. 37′Lucas BERGVALL (in) comes off the bench to replace Isak HIEN (out) (Sweden)
  3. 39′Shogo TANIGUCHI (in) comes off the bench to replace Kou ITAKURA (out) (Japan)
  4. 56′Daizen MAEDA (Japan) scores!!
  5. 62′Anthony ELANGA (Sweden) scores!!
  6. 66′Koki OGAWA (in) comes off the bench to replace Ayase UEDA (out) (Japan)
  7. 66′Junya ITO (in) comes off the bench to replace Ritsu DOAN (out) (Japan)
  8. 75′Daniel SVENSSON (in) comes off the bench to replace Alexander BERNHARDSSON (out) (Sweden)
  9. 75′Ken SEMA (in) comes off the bench to replace Elliot STROUD (out) (Sweden)
  10. 75′Yuto NAGATOMO (in) comes off the bench to replace Keito NAKAMURA (out) (Japan)
  11. 75′Tsuyoshi WATANABE (in) comes off the bench to replace Ayumu SEKO (out) (Japan)
  12. 77′Shogo TANIGUCHI (Japan) is booked by the referee.
  13. 84′Viktor GYOKERES (Sweden) is booked by the referee.
  14. 87′Carl STARFELT (in) comes off the bench to replace Victor LINDELOF (out) (Sweden)
  15. 87′Benjamin NYGREN (in) comes off the bench to replace Gabriel GUDMUNDSSON (out) (Sweden)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Japan's Chances Squandered as Sweden Steal Unlikely Draw

Japan commanded Dallas with measured intensity, their 3-4-2-1 formation conferring midfield control through Maeda and Suzuki. The 56th-minute goal arrived cleanly: a 0.60 xG opportunity dispatched as it should be. But six minutes later, Sweden's aggressive pressing (4.9 high-press phases against Japan's 3.3) conjured an improbable response—a 0.02 xG goal that defied logic. The narrative inverted: Japan, now chasing, pressed forward while Sweden defended the fortune they'd somehow inherited.

Japan's numerical advantage in quality (1.22 to 0.56 expected goals) masked a clinical deficiency. Three shots on target could have been four; at 83', a gilt-edged 0.31 xG chance was spurned. Sweden's reply relied on volume and luck: 11 shots but only five on target, their 0.56 xG return from possession-light play. Elanga (7.9) orchestrated Sweden's salvage; Maeda (7.7) commanded Japan's attack but could not overcome their wastefulness.

Japan's 1.22 expected goals to Sweden's 0.56 tells the story: one team created, the other capitalized on chaos and pressing intensity.

62′

Sweden score from 0.02 xG, an improbable equaliser that defies possession and chance creation

What Japan needed

Dominance evaporates without ruthless finishing.

  • Clinical finishing: 0.31 xG miss at 83' was the match; score and Japan wins
  • Defensive discipline: Sweden's 0.02 xG goal shouldn't land; tighten shape on scrambles
  • Pressing intensity: 3.3 high-press phases vs Sweden's 4.9 surrendered initiative in midfield

What Sweden needed

Pressing produced fortune, not dominance; efficiency squandered it.

  • Shot quality: 11 shots, 5 on target, 0.56 xG reflects poor decision-making under pressure
  • Finishing: 0.19 xG miss at 79' would have made Sweden's pressing count
  • Conversion advantage: One scrambled goal from 4.9 high-press phases reveals underexecution