NEW YORK, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Sweden coach Graham Potter said he was proud of his players despite their 3-0 loss to France in World Cup round of 32 on Tuesday.
"I have no complaints to the players whatsoever," Potter said in the post-match press conference. "I don't think it's a disgrace to lose to France. They were the better team and they've got some high-level players. For us, it's about using this as a foundation to go forward and to be proud of what we've done so far."
Sweden had some early chances in the match, but France outshot Sweden 25-8.
Potter explained his decision to play a more attacking formation. "I thought it gives us a bit more of a chance to try to put some pressure on. We had some good transition moments early in the game, but we didn't make enough of them," he said. "In the end, the quality of the opponent is still the quality of the opponent. That's why I have to say congratulations to France; they deserved to win."
Potter spoke highly of France striker Kylian Mbappe, who scored twice. "He is an absolute top, top player," he said. "His goal was a fine example of the speed and the way he can get the shot off quick. It's an incredibly high level."
France winger Michael Olise also impressed, assisting all three goals and almost scoring with a bicycle kick, and Potter said he was not surprised by his performance.
"We always really liked him because of his quality," Potter said. "You could see he was just ready to go. He's a fantastic player now."
Potter added that his team had grown a lot despite its elimination.
"We are a young developing team with hopefully a lot of good things ahead of us," he said. "We have double figures making debuts in the World Cup. That is some difference from the French team. We'll get better for that, that's for sure. You win, you lose, you grow as a team and as an individual." ■
