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Alexander Isak has confessed that he had to “scold” Anthony Elanga after the Newcastle United forward admitted he “didn’t know” that a draw would be sufficient for Sweden to qualify for the last 32 of the World Cup.

It was Elanga who netted Sweden’s sensational equaliser, cancelling out Daizen Maeda’s well-constructed opener for Japan.

The 1-1 result ensured Japan finished second in Group F behind the Netherlands, while Sweden’s four points were enough to see them progress as one of the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage.

However, Elanga’s reaction at the final whistle revealed his lack of awareness of the standings. He collapsed to the turf in frustration, clearly believing Sweden were out of the tournament.

Speaking to Sportbladet, Elanga explained: “I just shouted: ‘Come on, we can go for more’. I’m happy we’re through – I honestly didn’t know that at the end.”

Sweden captain Victor Lindelof later confirmed that coach Graham Potter had briefed the squad before the game about all possible qualification scenarios. When asked about Elanga’s confusion, Potter took it in good humour.

He said: “That explains a few things. We couldn’t have been clearer, but he was obviously thinking of something else. Bless him. I love him right now, but dear me.”

Reflecting on the match itself, Potter continued: “We analysed the game against the Netherlands. We needed to defend better in the box and in the wide areas today. We decided to bring in Jacob because he’s a fantastic goalkeeper. His distribution was really impressive.”

He also commented on Elanga’s contribution: “Anthony gives us a counter-attacking option, and his pace really unsettles the opposition.”

Potter further hailed Victor Gyokeres for his “outstanding performance” and discussed the tactical structure that allows the Arsenal striker to partner Alexander Isak up front as Sweden head into the knockout rounds.

“I thought he [Gyokeres] was outstanding – a brilliant display from a back-to-goal centre-forward. Simply amazing,” Potter said.

He added: “The formation we used in the World Cup playoffs has remained stable. The way the players have absorbed the information we’ve provided has been incredible – everyone’s been fully engaged in the team’s organisation.”