The pre-match story

Two Ghosts of Nearly, One Vancouver Night

In 1958, a Swedish team came home as runners-up, their nation holding its breath as a teenage Pelé broke their hearts. Sixty-eight years later, the Blågult return to a stage where nearly is still a wound. Across the pitch: the Dutch, who have worn the silver medal three times—1974, 1978, 2010—each loss a masterpiece of what-if.