Sweden lost to France 0-3 in the Round of 16 at this FIFA World Cup. Manager Potter was interviewed by Swedish media following the match.

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

As you can imagine, we are very disappointed to be eliminated, because we felt we could have gone further. But ultimately, we must acknowledge that given the strength and overall quality of today's opponent, this was likely beyond our capabilities. We would have needed to play nearly perfectly, almost our best game, and even then, when facing a team of France's caliber, I'm not sure that would have been enough.

They clearly deserved to progress. For us, now we must accept this disappointment, while also recognizing that we've come this far. Our next task is to continue moving forward with this team as our foundation. I am very proud of the team. We must use this experience as a starting point to ensure we qualify for major tournaments again and continue to develop, as many players in our squad are experiencing the FIFA World Cup for the first time. Now we must continue improving as a collective and make the most of this experience.

What are your thoughts on the timing of the goals conceded and the team's performance at those moments?

Yes, the timing of conceding goals was far from ideal. However, I thought we started the match quite solidly and played well. Then they gradually pushed us deeper and deeper, leaving us with very few attacking opportunities.

With their quality, they can constantly apply pressure on your defense. Of course, conceding goals is disappointing, but I think it was a result of us being under sustained pressure for a period, and it was genuinely very difficult in that situation.

What does this defeat mean for the team when facing such a strong opponent?

Although they may not want to hear it, there is no shame in losing to an opponent like this. You only 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 look at where we are now.

Whether it's about our stage of development or experience, we are on a completely different level. So, as I said, we must use this as an opportunity to improve and continue striving to participate in major tournaments. This is our foundation. We have had five wonderful weeks together and made great progress, but today was not enough.

What does this tournament experience mean for the team's future development?

I think that is exactly what we need to do. As I said, look at these players—many of them are experiencing a tournament like this for the first time, and they lack that tournament experience and accumulated knowledge. What I mean is that coming here and experiencing these things will make you better.

Now we must continue developing as a team. Next, we have the Nations League, and we must strive to win there; we must qualify for the European Championship, and we must also strive to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup. It sounds simple, but these are the objectives we must achieve.

In football, there must always be balance between defense and attack. We are facing a top team, and it is very difficult for any team in the world when facing France—that is reality. However, we have made progress. I think we have improved both as a team and overall, and now it is time to move forward.

How do you sum up this FIFA World Cup journey?

There are many factors involved, including the players and how they have bonded together. As I said, I am very proud of them. These five weeks have been unforgettable, and it has been a very valuable experience for me. I am grateful to them, the coaching staff, and all the players for the attitude they have shown.

As I mentioned before, it was not easy to recover after the match against the Netherlands and secure the necessary points against Japan, but the players did very well. Today we simply faced a very strong opponent. I think it takes a very strong team to beat them in this tournament. But that does not diminish our disappointment and sadness, because we were not ready to leave. I could feel that from the team—we all wanted to stay. I also want to thank all the fans, they have been fantastic, both at the stadium and at home. Today's result is not what we wanted.

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