Despite France securing their spot in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals this evening, it could not have gone much worse for Laurent Blanc's side.
Their attacking players misfired as they lost 2-0 to Sweden, while they must now face the world and European Champions Spain in the quarter-finals.
England grabbed top spot with a 1-0 win over Ukraine courtesy of Wayne Rooney, who announced his return with a goal.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between Sweden and France.
Sweden Statistics:
Shots 13
On target 8
Possession 50%
Corners 2
Fouls 16
France Statistics:
Shots 21
On target 10
Possession 50%
Corners 8
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
On the balance of play, you could probably argue that France deserved it with the amount of chances they created. However, they lacked ideas in the second period and Sweden were well worth their victory in the end.
Sweden's performance
After a slow start, the Swedes were fantastic this evening. They displayed bundles of energy, coupled with the defensive instincts of Olof Mellberg and the delightfulness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
France's performance
The French promised so much with a lively start to proceedings, but they seemed to run out of ideas as the match progressed. Their inventive players – Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema – also did not have the best of evenings.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Olof Mellberg: It would have been quite easy to give it to Ibrahimovic following his sensational volley. However, Mellberg was an absolute rock at the heart of the defence. He made what seemed like a 100 blocks, and proved that he is still a capable player at this level.
Referee performance
It was a fairly quiet night for Pedro Proenca. He allowed the match to progress and got the majority of the big decisions correct.
Biggest gaffe of the game
Step forward Ola Toivonen. The Swede should have found the bottom corner after rounding French stopper Hugo Lloris. However, he struck the post when he should have scored.
What next?
Sweden: That's it for the Swedes. They go home with a win, but with thoughts of what might have been.
France: Not really the ideal night for France. The defeat means that they drop to the second in Group D, and with it, a meeting with Spain in the quarter-finals.
Matt Law
