Confused by all those World Cup third-in-the-group permutations? Oh, us too. As so, as it turned out, was Sweden’s Anthony Elanga. Why was he busting a gut in the last half hour of the game against Japan, after he had made it 1-1, despite the bench hollering at him to just keep the flippin’ ball?Yes, because he thought Sweden needed a win to go through to the next round. Hence that photo of him looking decidedly dejected at the end of the drawn game.“He was a little frustrated at the end of the match – and you can understand that now,” said team-mate Alexander Isak, with a hint of rolly eyes. “He can’t have been awake enough,” Victor Lindelöf added, reckoning the Newcastle man snoozed through the team’s pre-match permutation chat. “It couldn’t ​have been any clearer for him,” said head coach Graham Potter. “He’s obviously thinking about something else, bless him. I love him at the moment, but dear me.”At least there was one supportive voice in the Swedish camp. “I was just as clueless,” said goalkeeper Jacob ​Widell Zetterström. Good man. Quote“Yeah – and I’m signing for Juventus tomorrow.” Scotland old-boy Alan Brazil (67) on the notion that his nation might still make the knock-out phase of the World Cup. By the Numbers: 26The new Lionel Messi statue in Patagonia, Argentina That’s how many metres tall is the newly unveiled statue of Lionel Messi in Patagonia, Argentina. The reviews? Mixed, some even suggesting it’s quite rude. Word of Mouth“This is what I’ve spoken about with President Trump – I think there’s no better positioned country to host a World Cup than the United States.” Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, on wanting the country to host the tournament all over again as soon as 2038 (when Trump will be serving his fifth term).“Sometimes a game does not deserve a really clever closing link. Goodbye.” The BBC’s Mark Chapman after the Czech Republic’s draw with South Africa, which he did not tremendously enjoy.“Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults, and the tough moments they went through, managed to recover and give ​this immense joy ‌to the entire ‌country. Tomorrow, a holiday.” President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador giving the nation a day off after their team qualified for the last 32 of the World Cup. Going Dutch The Guardian had word on Friday of a German mathematician by the name of Joachim Klement using factors such as GDP per capita, population, the status of football in society, Fifa rankings and a dollop of chance to predict that the winners of this year’s World Cup will be ... the Netherlands. No more than yourselves, we were guffawing loudly, until we were told that, using the very same method, he accurately forecast the winners of the last three World Cups. Three. But before you head to your local turf accountants to wager your home, here was Klement talking to ESPN a couple of weeks’ back about his prophecy. “It’s completely irrational. It’s like playing the lottery. I always say that if anyone places a bet based on my prediction ... they’re beyond help.”Dallas cowboy buildersSweden in training at the home of FC Dallas There has been no shortage of severe weather through this World Cup, the United States in particular experiencing temperatures almost as high as our own (well, a bit higher in truth). There have been plenty of spectacular thunderstorms too, occasionally accompanied by rowdy winds, although Sweden’s Besfort Zeneli wasn’t aware that one had just hit the Frisco region of Texas.“I just thought, ‘what happened?’ As far as I knew there hadn’t been any storm,” he said as he surveyed the wreckage at one side of their training pitch, home of MLS side FC Dallas, on Wednesday. [ Socceroos winning hearts, minds and eyeballs in reaching World Cup knock-out stagesOpens in new window ]It turned out, though, that FC Dallas are just demolishing their stadium as part of a multi-gazillion renovation project, with that side of the ground (half) flattened earlier on Wednesday. Although, seeing as nearby Dallas is hosting its final World Cup game on July 14th ... could they not have waited?