Potter urges Sweden to learn from heavy defeat to Netherlands

HOUSTON, June 21 — Sweden coach Graham Potter called on his players to learn lessons from Saturday’s 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands, saying his team paid the price for a poor first-half performance but still had everything to play for in its final Group F match.

Sweden entered Saturday’s Group F clash full of confidence following an impressive opening victory over Tunisia, but found themselves overwhelmed by a Dutch side that capitalized on defensive mistakes and raced into a commanding lead before halftime.

Potter acknowledged that his team had struggled to cope with the pace, physicality and attacking quality of the Dutch during the opening 45 minutes.