Sweden lost 0-3 to France in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup. Coach Potter was interviewed by Swedish media after the match.

How do you evaluate the team's elimination and overall performance?

As you can imagine, we are very disappointed to be eliminated, because we felt we could have progressed further. But in the end, we have to acknowledge that given the strength and caliber of today's opponent, this may have still been beyond our reach. We would have had to play almost perfectly, and even then, against a team of France's caliber, I'm not sure it would have been enough.

They clearly deserved to advance. For us now, we just have to process this disappointment while recognizing that we have come this far. Our next task is to continue building with this team as a foundation. I am very proud of the players. We must use this experience as a starting point to ensure we qualify for major tournaments again and continue to develop, because many players in the squad are participating in a FIFA World Cup for the first time. We must continue to improve collectively and make full use of this experience.

How do you view the timing of the goals conceded and the team's performance at those moments?

Yes, the timing of the goals conceded was indeed not ideal. But I think we started the match quite solidly and performed well initially. After that, they gradually increased pressure on us, pushing us deeper and deeper, and our attacking opportunities became very limited.

With their quality, they consistently put constant pressure on you defensively. Of course, conceding goals is disappointing, but I think it was a result of being pressed for a period of time, and it was very difficult in that situation.

What does this loss to such a strong opponent mean for the team?

Although they may not want to hear this, losing to such an opponent is not shameful. You just need to look at how long they have played together, at what they have achieved individually and as a team throughout their careers, and then at where we are now.

Whether in terms of development stage or experience, we are at completely different levels. So we must, as I said, use this as an opportunity to improve and continue to strive for participation in major tournaments. This is a foundation for us. We had a very good five weeks together and made great progress, but today it was not enough.

What is the significance of this tournament experience for the team's future development?

I think that's exactly what we need to do. As I said, look at these players—many of them are participating in such a tournament for the first time, and they lack tournament experience and this kind of exposure. What I want to say is that coming here and experiencing these things will make you better.

Now we must continue to grow as a team. Next, we will compete in the UEFA Nations League, and we must strive for success there; we must qualify for the European Championship, and we must also strive to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. It sounds straightforward, but these are the objectives we must achieve.

In football, there always needs to be a balance between defense and attack. We are facing a top team, and it will be difficult for any team in the world to play against France—that's the reality. However, we have made progress. I think we have improved both as a team and collectively, and next we must continue moving forward.

How would you summarize this FIFA World Cup journey?

Many factors are involved, including the players themselves and how they came together. As I said, I am very proud of them. It was an unforgettable five weeks and a very valuable experience for me as well. I am very grateful to them, to the coaching staff, and to all the players for the attitude they demonstrated.

As I said before, it's not easy to bounce back after playing against the Netherlands and then get the point we needed against Japan, but the players did an excellent job. Today we simply faced a very strong opponent. I think in this tournament, it would take a very strong team to beat them. But this does not diminish our disappointment and sadness, because we don't want to leave yet. I can feel this from the team—we all want to stay longer. I also want to thank all the fans; they were amazing, both at the venue and at home. Today's result was not what we wanted.

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