145;Thanks, anyway146;

8220;So close, so close. So bitter, so bitter. So terrible, so terrible,8221; wailed the tabloid Aftonbladet. 8220;A bitter, terrible fight which Sweden did not have the stamina to win.8221;

8220;A Swede walked first off the field, straight into the terrible history books of blown penalties,8221; wrote columnist Johan Esk, referring to Mellberg8217;s missed spot kick.

The Sunday papers were forgiving, though, of Sweden8217;s team and their captain who had played well. The headline on the daily Dagens Nyheter8217;s Euro 2004 column said: 8220;Thank you anyway, Mellberg 8212; thanks for everything you and the team gave us8221;.

5 REASONS WHY THE MATCH WENT PHUT8230;

8226; Two teams with similar styles of play, meaning there was little by way of inventiveness

8226; A terribly crowded mid-pitch where the ball hovered for most of the match

8226; Sweden8217;s ultra-defensive tactics met with excessive Dutch caution as both teams played just one striker upfront

8226; Though some chances were created, poor finishing let both teams down

8226; The refereeing didn8217;t help, with hardly any advantages given and the game stopped every few seconds