It was a tough night for Gyokeresplaceholder image
It was a tough night for Gyokeres | AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres did not impress on Monday night with his nation.
Sweden were left embarrassed on Monday night when they suffered a shock defeat to Kosovo, with Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres playing a part. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men drew with Slovenia in their first qualifying game last week, and they followed that with a 2-0 defeat to a spirited Kosovo side who were supposed to be the whipping boys of the group.
The defeat leaves Sweden five points behind leaders Switzerland after just two games, and their path to the World Cup already looks to be a complicated one, leaving Tomasson under pressure early in his reign.
Arsenal star Gyokeres played 90 minutes of the game, but he was unable to make a notable impact, with his side falling way short of expectations. Discussing the performance of each player, Expressen reported of Gyokeres: “It's clear that he's not in his best form, his touch isn't quite there and Gyökeres often lost the ball. He did dig up a couple of half-chances in the first half, but it's not enough. This was a poor performance from the attacking star.”
Fotbollskanalen added in their take: “Was one of the few who was acceptable in the first half. Fought and struggled and had the chances that Sweden got. Good interaction with Bernhardsson. Was invisible in the second half. Didn't get a lot to work with.”
Sweden face Switzerland in the next international window, and that game is now a must-win for them given their poor start. Second place will still be enough for a play-off spot, and Sweden are only two points behind Kosovo at this stage, so they can still keep their World Cup dream alive with a solid run of form in their remaining four games.
Gyokeres is going to have to step up to make that happen, and Arsenal will be hoping he can rediscover his best form over the coming weeks as they look to bounce back from a defeat to Liverpool and make up some early lost ground.
Tomasson on Sweden shortcomings
Sweden boss Tomasson said after the game: “A well-deserved victory for Kosovo. They wanted more. We did not follow our principles. We played slowly and we did not react quickly enough when we lost the ball. We conceded four counterattacks where we should have done better as a team. We coaches are also involved in that. We tried in the second half but weren't good. We played the ball into the box but we lacked a bit of an idea there.
“Neither our defense nor our offense was good enough. It was the whole package. This was not good. But let's not forget that before this match we had won eight out of eleven matches since September 2024. I think we had won eight matches, lost one and drawn two. This was not good enough but it also takes time to build. We were not ourselves. We played a fantastic match against Slovenia, but this effort was poor. We dream of the World Cup and this was a setback, but we will find a way to get there.”
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