Sweden Qualify For World Cup After Viktor Gyökeres Hits Late Winner Against Poland

The Graham Potter magic knows nary bounds. There will beryllium those who wonderment what correct Sweden had to beryllium successful this playoff, but they will beryllium successful nan World Cup aft an extraordinarily melodramatic triumph secured by Viktor Gyökeres’s 89th-minute winner.

A patchy, anxious crippled successful which Poland had doubly equalised, its shapelessness an apt reflection of nan stakes, had seemed to beryllium drifting towards extra-time erstwhile Sweden, successful a uncommon guardant sally, won a brace of corners successful a row. Suddenly location was momentum and a mounting consciousness of anticipation. The 2nd area was half-cleared, Lucas Bergvall jabbed it goalwards. His changeable was saved but Besfort Zeneli skewed against nan station and nan shot fell for Gyökeres 5 yards retired pinch nan extremity gaping. Destiny called and nan Arsenal guardant answered emphatically.

The sides had reached this shape via very different routes. Where Poland had scrapped difficult to triumph 5 of 8 group games, drafting doubly against nan Netherlands and suffering their only conclusion distant to Finland earlier beating Albania successful their playoff semi-final, Sweden had been hugely disappointing, finishing bottommost of their four-team group pinch only 2 points. The Nations League repechage though gave them a 2nd chance and, pinch Potter installed arsenic manager, they were overmuch much awesome successful beating Ukraine 3-1 successful Valencia successful their semi-final.

This, suddenly, is simply a squad ­playing pinch astatine slightest immoderate confidence, acold removed from nan rabble that was truthful mediocre earlier successful qualifying, and aft 20 minutes they took nan lead pinch an highly well-worked goal, Yasin Ayari rubbing Gabriel Gudmundsson’s debased transverse backmost to Anthony Elanga who swept his changeable precocious past Kamil Grabara. But being amended does not intends they are adjacent to being great.

Graham Potter is joyous connected nan touchline aft nan erstwhile Chelsea and Brighton head led Sweden to nan World Cup. Photograph: Jesper Zerman/BILDBYRÅN/Shutterstock

Poland had astir apt been nan much progressive broadside to that point, without really looking for illustration turning territorial advantage into chances. Sweden looked comfortable holding them astatine arm’s length, but erstwhile Karol Swiderski met a right-wing transverse pinch a patient volley, Kristoffer Nordfeldt made an fantabulous guidance prevention debased to his left. The seasoned erstwhile Swansea reserve past drew awesome roars pinch a assured declare successful a packed bench, but he was severely astatine responsibility for nan Poland equaliser. It was a dreadful extremity to concede, nan correct wingback Daniel Svensson bafflingly passive arsenic Jakub Kaminski trim infield into his correct ft and clipped a debased changeable goalwards. He did not look to drawback it wholly cleanly and it was not particularly adjacent to nan corner, but Nordfeldt could not get capable of a manus connected it to support it out.

Earlier successful nan campaign, Sweden mightiness person wilted and they did stone for a moment. But conscionable earlier half-time a needless foul by Jakub Kiwior connected Elanga talented Sweden a free-kick successful a vulnerable area connected nan right. Svensson swung it successful and Gustaf Lagerbielke bulleted his header into nan apical corner.

The defender, who helped Celtic to nan Scottish title successful 2023, is nan 11th baron of Lagerbielke and 254th successful statement to nan Swedish throne. When he was a child, he had a overgarment of arms connected his shin-pads, but thing has brought him person to being shot royalty than that goal. Actual shot royalty, successful Robert Lewandowski, had made nan quality erstwhile Poland hit Sweden successful a World Cup playoff 4 years agone but, now 37, he struggled to enforce himself, becoming progressively disappointment arsenic each passing infinitesimal took him person to nan extremity of his World Cup career.

Others, though, were making a quality and Swiderski levelled 10 minutes aft nan break, poking successful arsenic Nicola Zalewski fired crossed nan look of goal.

Poland had nan amended of it thereafter; surely they had much of nan ball, but it was not enough. Sweden had their plan, and it worked.