Sweden emerged from the group stage with six points from a possible nine to reach the knockout rounds, securing top spot in Group F after beating Mexico 3-0 in the final game.
They had only got into the UEFA playoffs during qualifying by virtue of having a better goal difference that the Netherlands and then ground out 1-0 aggregate win over Italy. Immediately, prior to the World Cup their result were poor, with no wins from their any of their four friendlies in March or June. That has mattered little since the start of the tournament, though
Switzerland were always expected to qualify for the knockout stages as second place behind Brazil in Group E and that is exactly what happened after drawing with the Selecao, before beating Serbia in the crucial game and then securing passage with a draw against Costa Rica.
During qualifying, a loss against Portugal in Lisbon in the final game was the only blot on an otherwise perfect 100% winning record, which led to a narrow playoff win over Northern Ireland.
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