"Penalties brought Sweden down," said Dagens Nyheter's front-page headline, underneath a large photograph showing the fatal moment when Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar saved a penalty kick by Swedish captain Olof Mellberg, the second Swede to miss, after Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Dagens Nyheter said it was 'unlucky' that Sweden went down this way, especially after Henrik Larsson and Freddie Ljungberg hit the post and the crossbar during extra time, which ended 0-0, forcing the penalty shootout, which the Dutch won 5-4.

Instead of attributing blame, Dagens Nyheter thanked Mellberg "for everything you and the team have given us this (Saturday) evening and this summer".

Svenska Dagbladet hailed the match as "an unbelievable thriller" and praised the Dutch goalkeeper for his save of Mellberg's penalty, calling van der Sar "the Dutch wizard between the goalposts".

Swedish tabloids also kept their disappointment under control, with Aftonbladet, with just a hint of criticism, saying Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed because he was "psyched out" by the intensity of the match.

Expressen, generously, said "Thank you, boys, for a match that we will never forget", adding that this included the unlucky Zlatan, who just over a week ago was a hero for his extraordinary equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Italy.