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Sweden boss Potter insists defeat to France is nothing to be ashamed of
01st July, 2026 02:31 PM
Sweden head coach Graham Potter has praised his team’s effort after their 3-0 defeat to France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, saying the result should not overshadow the progress his side has made.
“I have no complaints to the players whatsoever,” Potter said in the post-match press conference.
“I don’t think it’s a disgrace to lose to France. They were the better team and they’ve got some high-level players. For us, it’s about using this as a foundation to go forward and to be proud of what we’ve done so far.”
Sweden created a few promising opportunities in the opening stages, but France eventually dominated the contest, finishing with a 25-8 advantage in total shots.
Potter said his decision to adopt a more attack-minded setup was aimed at unsettling the French side.
“I thought it gives us a bit more of a chance to try to put some pressure on. We had some good transition moments early in the game, but we didn’t make enough of them,” he said.
“In the end, the quality of the opponent is still the quality of the opponent. That’s why I have to say congratulations to France; they deserved to win.”
Potter hails Mbappe
The Swedish manager reserved special praise for French forward Kylian Mbappe, who netted twice during the victory.
“He is an absolute top, top player,” he said. “His goal was a fine example of the speed and the way he can get the shot off quick. It’s an incredibly high level.”
France winger Michael Olise was another standout performer, providing assists for all three goals and coming close to scoring with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Potter admitted the display was exactly what he expected from the talented attacker.
“We always really liked him because of his quality,” Potter said. “You could see he was just ready to go. He’s a fantastic player now.”
Despite exiting the tournament, Potter believes Sweden has taken significant strides and will benefit from the experience.
“We are a young developing team with hopefully a lot of good things ahead of us,” he said. “We have double figures making debuts in the World Cup. That is some difference from the French team. We’ll get better for that, that’s for sure. You win, you lose, you grow as a team and as an individual.”
