Sweden vs. Belgium: Score and Twitter Reaction from Euro 2016

Radja Nainggolan fired Belgium to the next round of UEFA Euro 2016, as the AS Roma star scored the only goal in the Red Devils' 1-0 win over Sweden on Wednesday.  

Belgium dominated possession before half-time but mustered few chances, and the roles reversed after the break. Belgium had a few chances on the counter late, as Sweden had to attack in search of a win, and Nainggolan broke the deadlock with seven minutes left.

The Red Devils will meet Hungary in the next round, while Sweden's tournament is over.

As shared by the team's official Twitter account, Moussa Dembele could not get fit in time, so Nainggolan replaced him in the starting XI:

For Sweden, Zlatan Ibrahimovic started his last-ever international match, as the veteran striker confirmed he wouldn't feature for the team again if they didn't progress to the next round.

Sweden had to win to advance to the next round, with most pundits predicting they would finally crawl out of their shell for the first time this tournament. It was Belgium who pushed forward early, however, and Eden Hazard took a first real shot from Victor Nilsson Lindelof less than 60 seconds into the contest.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/Getty Images

A quick counter saw Hazard tee up Axel Witsel, who fired the first shot of the match high over Andreas Isaksson's goal. On the other side of the pitch, Thibaut Courtois produced a superb reflex save to deny Marcus Berg after the Red Devils failed to clear a free-kick.

Per DW Sports, it was Sweden's first shot on goal of the tournament:

Kevin De Bruyne found Romelu Lukaku with an excellent solo effort, but his shot flew wide of the target, and Jan Vertonghen just overran a good cross from the Manchester City man and couldn't get back to the ball.

Unsurprisingly, the Swedes were happy to sit back and hand possession to the Belgians, who passed the ball around deep inside the Swedish half. Vertonghen nearly picked out Lukaku, who missed the ball by inches, as Belgium started to take control of proceedings.

The Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon liked what he saw from the team's top stars behind striker Lukaku:

Sweden threatened as well, however, and Thomas Vermaelen had to chase down Ibrahimovic when the Paris Saint-Germain star found some space over the top of the defence.

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De Bruyne curled a shot straight into the arms of Isaksson, and Ibrahimovic angled an effort wide of the goal, but major chances were few. Lukaku again came just short of prodding a sharp cross home, this time from De Bruyne, but all in all, Sweden's defence survived comfortably.

ESPN FC's Michael Caley was more impressed with Belgium's away kit than their play:

"

I am so here for Belgium's throwback Astros kit.

— Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) June 22, 2016"

Vertonghen powered a free-kick from a promising position into the wall, and the resulting corner again fell short of its mark.

Thomas Meunier saw a headed effort shave the post shortly before half-time, and Witsel was lucky only to get a yellow card after he―accidentally―struck Berg in the face.

Despite the lack of major chances, the Belgian Waffle still enjoyed the first half:

"

HT #SWE 0-0 #BEL - better game than I thought it would be, fairly open.

— The Belgian Waffle (@TheBelgianWffle) June 22, 2016"

Sweden showed more attacking intentions early in the second half, but chances remained few. Belgium struggled passing their way out of their own half, but they kept Ibrahimovic isolated, and Sweden couldn't find a Plan B.

The Swedes dominated possession and pushed up the pitch in search of an opener, and Belgium had no answers. A frustrated Lukaku blatantly shoved Andreas Granqvist to the ground for no reason, highlighting how difficult the Swedes were making life on him.

BULENT KILIC/Getty Images

Ibrahimovic nearly played in Forsberg, but Courtois read the pass well, and Yannick Carrasco fired a hard cross into the box on the resulting corner that was only just blocked.

The Belgians wanted a penalty after a cross from Meunier hit Granqvist in the arm, but the ball came from close, and the defender certainly didn't mean to handle it.

Ibrahimovic thought he had finally broken the deadlock, but Berg was penalised for a high boot in the buildup to the goal, before De Bruyne put Isaksson to work with a low, hard shot. 

OptaJohan's Michiel Jongsma wasn't impressed with the action on hand:

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots introduced Dries Mertens for Carrasco with 20 minutes left to play, as more space opened up behind Sweden's full-backs. Lukaku finally found some space just two minutes later, but goalkeeper Isaksson did well to keep his low shot out.

The Everton man found the net shortly after, but a late flag denied him his goal. While he made his rush almost from the midfield line, the whistle didn't blow until he already had the ball in the goal.

Thanassis Stavrakis/Associated Press

Ibrahimovic forced a good save from Courtois with a low, curled free-kick, as the match opened up in the final 20 minutes. Lukaku became more involved, and he narrowly fired a shot over the bar after a smart drop of his shoulder. 

Mertens danced his way through the Sweden defence before finding Isaksson in his way, before De Bruyne saved a ball off the line after a good header from Granqvist.

The goal finally fell with seven minutes left to play, as Hazard found some space on the left and pulled a ball back. Meunier let it fall to Nainggolan, who blasted a shot past the stopper and into the far corner. AS English loved the strike:

Sweden were now forced to attack with numbers, needing two goals, and Ibrahimovic fired a volley just wide of Courtois' goal. De Bruyne fired a volley wide on the other side of the pitch, as Belgium tried to put Sweden away for good.

Substitute Christian Benteke drew another fine save from Isaksson, and the Belgians controlled the ball and ran out the clock after that.

Post-Match Reaction

Belgian defender Vincent Kompany, who has become something of a spokesman for the team from the sidelines, kept his comments after the match short:

On paper, the Belgians have an easier round to the final than Group E winners Italy, as they'll face Hungary in the Round of 16 and would meet Wales or Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals.

All those teams have a tendency to sit back and break with numbers, something the Red Devils have struggled with so far. De Bruyne is still looking for his best form, and he'll have to improve if Belgium want to make a deep run into the tournament. The defence looks much better than expected, however, and the Red Devils have to like their chances against Hungary.

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