Ranking every World Cup Team Performance after the First Round of Group Games

#16 Sweden

Sweden had a chance to showcase their talents in the World Cup for the first time since 2006. Sweden chose not to select Zlatan Ibrahimovic and rightly so as he did not play a part in their qualification campaign. The Swedish beat four-time champions Italy in their World Cup playoff but faced a less distinguished opponent in South Korea.

Germany's loss made this Group F encounter a must-win for both sides. Sweden looked like the more dangerous team from the onset but were frustrated by their lack of decisiveness in the final third. Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen were charged with bearing the burden of goal scoring for Sweden which was previously held by distinguished footballers such as Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, It was Berg who got a golden opportunity to write his name into Swedish football history in the first half. However, he could not find the back of the net when he was face to face with the Korean goalkeeper.

The Swedish continued to press forward as the Koreans barely threatened the Swedish defence which was missing Manchester United's Victor Lindelof. It was VAR which came to the Nordic nation's rescue in the second half. Swedish midfielder Claesson was brought down in the box and the referee needed VAR to award a penalty to Sweden. The veteran centre-back Andreas Granqvist dispatched the penalty easily.

Sweden will need their defence to be as solid as they were against Italy against the Germans who will be desperate for a victory. Only time will tell if the Swedish can emulate Chile who knocked out the defending champions Spain in the 2014 World Cup in similar circumstances.

A huge victory for Sweden in a '

must win

' game

#15 Australia

Technology played a vital part in Australia's defeat against one of the best teams in the tournament (on paper at least). A penalty and an unfortunate deflection were the only negatives for the Socceroos in a gritty display.

What was impressive about Australia was their mental strength and fortitude. They matched their illustrious opponent stride for stride throughout the match. It was not a game where Australia sat back and invited the pressure. Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak were hugely impressive against a star-studded French midfield. Their pressing game was on point and the Australian defence was able to suffocate and deal with the movement of the dynamic front three of France. Trent Sainsbury was a rock at the back for the Aussies.

A very spirited performance from a side managed by a World cup finalist in Bert Van Marwijk. They will take a lot of positives from this game despite the loss and will be confident against Denmark and Peru.

Aaron Mooy and Mile Jedinak held their own against a stacked French midfield