European Championship
SwedenSweden0BelgiumBelgium1

Sweden 0-1 Belgium

By Chris OsborneBBC Sport

Radja Nainggolan's superb 25-yard strike secured Belgium's place in the last 16 of Euro 2016 and knocked out Sweden, bringing to an end Zlatan Ibrahimovic's international career.

Victory in Nice meant Belgium finished as Group E runners-up and will face Hungary in Toulouse on Sunday.

Sweden exited the competition with one point from three games in which Ibrahimovic failed to score.

The Republic of Ireland qualified in third thanks to a 1-0 win over Italy.

More to come from Belgium?

It seemed Belgium might start matching the expectations around their talented squad with a 3-0 win over the Republic on Saturday.

But they laboured to a win against a Sweden side that have been toothless throughout the campaign.

Roma midfielder Nainggolan's 84th-minute swerving right-footed finish, angled into the bottom-left corner via a slight deflection, was a moment of high quality.

However, a starting XI that featured six Premier League players and featured just one change from the win over the Republic lacked decisiveness in the attacking third of the pitch.

Kevin de Bruyne was the most industrious option for Marc Wilmots' team, providing the cross for Thomas Meunier to flash a header wide and putting through Romelu Lukaku for a one-on-one chance which the Everton striker squandered - but they still have plenty of room for improvement.

Zlatan bows out with a whimper

Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic had 56 touches - many of which were in attacking positions - but failed to influence the game

This was probably Sweden's most effective performance of the tournament - they mustered four shots on target, having not registered a single one in the previous two games.

They were unlucky not to lead minutes before Nainggolan's winner, when Andreas Granqvist's header was cleared off the line by De Bruyne.

But Sweden finished bottom of the group with one point, an unfitting way to end the international career of 116-time capped Ibrahimovic, the country's record goal scorer.

The 34-year-old, a reported target for Manchester United after he left Paris St-Germain this summer, announced this week he would retire from Sweden duty.

He failed to add to his 62 international goals and did not register a shot on target until this final group game.

His own frustrations were echoed by Sweden, who did not see one of their own players find the net in the tournament - their only goal was scored by the Republic's Ciaran Clark in the opening 1-1 draw.

Man of the match - Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium)

Kevin de Bruyne
The Manchester City midfielder was at the heart of Belgium's best moments and looks much more comfortable in a central role rather than out wide

What's next?

Belgium take on Group F winners Hungary, who were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Portugal on Wednesday, at the Stadium Municipal on Sunday (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Sweden return home to start life without Ibrahimovic, as well as influential goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who is also retiring.

The stats you need to know

  • Radja Nainggolan's goal was his fifth for Belgium and his first since October 2015
  • Belgium won back-to-back games at the European Championships for the first time
  • Sweden have lost six of their past eight games at the European Championships (W1 D1). They have also kept only one clean sheet in that run
  • Sweden had only four shots on target at Euro 2016, the fewest of any side
  • Marcus Berg's fifth-minute shot was Sweden's first on target at Euro 2016, in their third game

Line-ups

Sweden

Formation 4-4-2

  • 1Isaksson
  • 14Lindelöf
  • 3JohanssonBooked at 36mins
  • 4Granqvist
  • 5Olsson
  • 7LarssonSubstituted forDurmazat 70'minutes
  • 8EkdalBooked at 33mins
  • 9Källström
  • 6ForsbergSubstituted forZenginat 82'minutes
  • 11BergSubstituted forGuidettiat 63'minutes
  • 10Ibrahimovic

Substitutes

  • 2Lustig
  • 12Olsen
  • 13Jansson
  • 15Hiljemark
  • 16Wernbloom
  • 17Augustinsson
  • 18Lewicki
  • 19Kujovic
  • 20Guidetti
  • 21Durmaz
  • 22Zengin
  • 23Carlgren

Belgium

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Courtois
  • 16MeunierBooked at 30mins
  • 2Alderweireld
  • 3Vermaelen
  • 5Vertonghen
  • 4Nainggolan
  • 6WitselBooked at 45mins
  • 11CarrascoSubstituted forMertensat 71'minutes
  • 7De Bruyne
  • 10E HazardSubstituted forOrigiat 90+3'minutes
  • 9LukakuSubstituted forBentekeat 87'minutes

Substitutes

  • 8Fellaini
  • 12Mignolet
  • 13Gillet
  • 14Mertens
  • 15Denayer
  • 17Origi
  • 18Kabasele
  • 19Dembélé
  • 20Benteke
  • 21J Lukaku
  • 22Batshuayi
  • 23Ciman
Referee:
Dr. Felix Brych
Attendance:
34,011

Match Stats

Home TeamSwedenAway TeamBelgium
Possession
Home51%
Away49%
Shots
Home12
Away21
Shots on Target
Home4
Away8
Corners
Home4
Away12
Fouls
Home10
Away14

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Sweden 0, Belgium 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Sweden 0, Belgium 1.

  3. Post update

    Attempt saved. Dries Mertens (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne.

  4. Substitution

    Substitution, Belgium. Divock Origi replaces Eden Hazard.

  5. Post update

    Eden Hazard (Belgium) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  6. Post update

    Foul by Albin Ekdal (Sweden).

  7. Post update

    Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Jimmy Durmaz.

  8. Post update

    Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Andreas Isaksson.

  9. Post update

    Attempt saved. Christian Benteke (Belgium) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Eden Hazard.

  10. Post update

    Attempt missed. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Dries Mertens.

  11. Post update

    Foul by Thomas Meunier (Belgium).

  12. Post update

    Erkan Zengin (Sweden) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  13. Post update

    Axel Witsel (Belgium) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  14. Post update

    Foul by Kim Källström (Sweden).

  15. Substitution

    Substitution, Belgium. Christian Benteke replaces Romelu Lukaku.

  16. Post update

    Attempt missed. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Albin Ekdal.

  17. Post update

    Offside, Belgium. Eden Hazard tries a through ball, but Dries Mertens is caught offside.

  18. Goal!

    Goal! Sweden 0, Belgium 1. Radja Nainggolan (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Eden Hazard.

  19. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Andreas Granqvist (Sweden) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kim Källström with a cross.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Sweden. Erkan Zengin replaces Emil Forsberg.

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Czech Rep107121914522
2Iceland106221761120
3Turkey10532149518
4Netherlands104151714313
5Kazakhstan10127718-115
6Latvia10055619-135

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Belgium107212451923
2Wales10631114721
3Bos-Herze105231712517
4Israel104151614213
5Cyprus104061617-112
6Andorra100010436-320

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Spain109012332027
2Slovakia10712178922
3Ukraine106131441019
4Belarus10325814-611
5Luxembourg10118627-214
6North Macedonia10118618-124

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Germany107122491522
2Poland1063133102321
3Republic of Ireland105321971218
4Scotland1043322121015
5Georgia103071016-69
6Gibraltar100010256-540

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1England1010003132830
2Switzerland107032481621
3Slovenia105141811716
4Estonia1031649-510
5Lithuania10316718-1110
6San Marino10019136-351

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Northern Ireland10631168821
2Romania10550112920
3Hungary10442119216
4Finland10334910-112
5Faroe Islands10208617-116
6Greece10136714-76

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Austria109102251728
2Football Union of Russia106222151620
3Sweden10532159618
4Montenegro103251013-311
5Liechtenstein10127226-245
6Moldova10028416-122

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Italy10730167924
2Croatia106312051520
3Norway106131310319
4Bulgaria10325912-311
5Azerbaijan10136718-116
6Malta10028316-132

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Portugal8701115621
2Albania8422105514
3Denmark833285312
4Serbia8215813-54
5Armenia8026514-92
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