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Uruguay was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after suffering a humiliating defeat against Spain. Let's analyze what went wrong in the path of Bielsa's team.
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27 June 2026 Updated: 28 June 2026
Sweden fears for France and enters the World Cup without a fundamental element
Swedish defender Isak Hien has been forced to sit out the rest of the 2026 World Cup due to injury. For Sweden, this represents a great difficulty ahead of the meeting with France in the round of 16.
Isak Hien will no longer be on the pitch in this World Cup. The Swedish defender suffered a hamstring injury during the final group match against Japan, forcing him to sit out the rest of the tournament. A hard blow for Graham Potter, who is preparing to face feared opponents France in the round of 16.
Hien, an Atalanta player, had been a regular starter during the group stage for Sweden, but had to leave the pitch against Japan (1-1) after just 37 minutes. "It's really sad for Isak and for us. He is a key and important player for the group, both on and off the pitch. To end the World Cup like this, with an injury, is very sad, we will do our best to support him. I'm sure he will come back stronger," Potter told Swedish media regarding the news of Hien's World Cup ending early.
Expectations for Sweden are now quite low ahead of the match against France. “It's a nightmare,” TV4 television channel said. "We are facing the best international attack of the last twenty years," added Aftonbladet. "France has never had such a talented attack, not even when they won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018. At world level, you have to go back to 2002 to find a similar attack, with the Brazil of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho."
"The problem with France is that you can't focus on just one star, they have so many good players. In any other team, Dembélé and Olise would be the real stars, but France have Mbappé, an even more extraordinary player," added the Sweden Herald. Stale Solbakken, coach of Norway who suffered a 1-4 defeat against France, also warns about Les Bleus' exceptional attacking line. "France is among the three or four favorite teams to win the World Cup. They certainly have the best attacking quartet of all the participants, with Mbappé, Olise, Doué and Dembélé."
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