❌ After final whistle, World Cup stunner scorer thought his team were out

❌ After final whistle, World Cup stunner scorer thought his team were out After the final whistle, Anthony Elanga experienced one of the most bizarre moments of this World Cup — and that came right after perhaps his most important goal of the tournament. The attacker scored the crucial equalizer in Sweden’s 1-1 draw against Japan, keeping the Scandinavians in the race for the knockout stage. But while his teammates celebrated qualification, Elanga at first felt like his world had collapsed. Immediately after the whistle, the 24-year-old dropped to the turf in frustration and openly showed his disappointment. The reason: Elanga was convinced the draw would not be enough to go through. In fact, Sweden had already secured a place in the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, thanks to the point and a total of four. The confusion did not last long, however. Teammates rushed over to Elanga and explained the actual group standings to him. Only then did the winger realize that Sweden was still in the tournament. The scene also caused some amusement afterward at the press conference. National team coach Graham Potter reacted with humor to his goalscorer’s mistake. “Oh my goodness,” Potter said with a laugh. “That explains a lot. But we couldn’t have made it any clearer to him.” Earlier, the Swedish coach had already hinted that the team had discussed various scenarios for the final group matchday. Apparently, though, the message had not fully gotten through to Elanga. His goal, meanwhile, was of enormous sporting importance. Against a technically strong Japanese side, Sweden defended in disciplined fashion and held firm for a long time before Elanga produced a stunning strike out of nowhere to level the score. What seemed like a World Cup exit thus turned within moments into a feeling of relief — and a story that will likely follow Elanga for a long time. Sweden’s World Cup journey now continues. However, their opponent in the round of 32 has not yet been decided. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.