Benjamin Sesko is one of the few players at Manchester United who will benefit from the international break and minutes in a familiar team and system.
After starting one of the four games at Man Utd, Benjamin Sesko started for Slovenia in their World Cup qualifier against Viktor Gyokeres’ Sweden.
His duel against Alexander Isak was much-awaited, but the £125m striker never left the bench, while Sesko had a decisive impact on the game.
In the process, the Slovenian press could not tear their eyes away from a breathtaking bit of skill from Sesko that was coined a bit of ‘martial arts’ by them.
Slovenia's forward #11 Benjamin Sesko (C-L) fights for the ball with Sweden's defender #03 (C-R) during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B European qualification football match between Slovenia and Sweden, at the Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana, on September 5, 2025
Photo by JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images
How Benjamin Sesko fared vs Sweden
Sesko has always enjoyed a talismanic role with the Slovenian side, and that status will only increase further with his move to Old Trafford.
Having accepted that the scrutiny on the Premier League is higher than the Bundesliga, this was Sesko’s first game for Slovenia when he had the eyes of the world on him.
Sweden are also a much stronger team on paper, so he had his work cut out for him, which reflected in the raw stats for the game.
Sesko finished the game with the fewest amount of touches from any outfielder who played 90 minutes, with 32 touches of the ball.
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He took just one shot and finished 15/19 passes in a display that was fairly unassuming, but sparked to life when it mattered the most.
Like any world-class player, Sesko made the difference in the dying embers of the game by assisting Vipotnik’s goal to save a point for Slovenia in the 2-2 draw.
Slovenian press in awe of Sesko’s ‘martial arts’
A hopeful long ball was played to Sesko, which bounced awkwardly, while the striker was surrounded by three Swedish defenders.
With Slovenia trailing 1-2, he needed to make something out of nothing, and he did exactly that.
He somehow juggled the ball in the air, he flicked it with his knee onto his head, and found Vipotnik running beyond the Swedish backline with a perfectly placed headed pass.
It was a breathtaking bit of skill that only someone with Sesko’s physical gifts could manage.
Slovenian outlet Ekipa termed it ‘martial arts’ mixed with ‘a lot of skill’. They quoted goalscorer Vipotnik as saying, “[Sesko] did a great job, it was not easy with the tall and strong Swedish defenders. I followed his action and when I got into a shooting position, I did not hesitate. Luckily I scored.”
Zurnal24 also gave a special mention to how Sesko created something out of nothing, noting how he ‘intercepted’ a hopeful long ball played by his team to create the goal.
Vecer described his assist in rich detail, writing, “What a comeback! After a long pass from Vanja Drkusic, Benjamin Sesko was not afraid of the defenders’ grip, tamed the ball, first with his knee, then with his head, to Zan Vipotnik, and he decisively struck from the edge of the penalty area.”
Sesko will next be in action against Switzerland as World Cup qualifiers continue on September 8.