Easy as one, two, three: Viktor Gyokeres took the match ball home as Sweden took Ukraine out of World Cup contention
Arsenal Football Newsletter
Viktor Gyokeres has set his sights on firing Sweden to the World Cup after hitting a hat-trick in their play-off defeat of Ukraine.
The Arsenal striker was in fine form as the Blagult secured their first win of Graham Potter’s tenure to keep their dreams of securing a World Cup berth alive.
It took Gyokeres just six minutes to open the scoring, and he latched on to a superb pass from goalkeeper Benjamin Nygren to add a second early in the second-half.
He added a third from the spot 20 minutes from time to take the match ball, with Matvii Ponomarenko’s late strike a mere consolation as Ukraine’s dreams of travelling to the United States this summer were snuffed out.
And Gyokeres, who has now scored 19 times for club and country this campaign, is hoping to keep his fine goalscoring record alive as Sweden face Poland in a play-off final.
Reflecting on his hat-trick, he told Swedish outlet Sportbladet: “It means a lot. Of course, it was an extremely important match for us and that we manage to win this match is very important.”
Viktor Gyokeres’ stunning performance against Ukraine kept Sweden’s dreams of qualifying for the World Cup alive
Asked if the evening could have gone any better for himself and Sweden, he added: “Today, no. But it could be even better (against Poland) on Tuesday.”
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Potter’s managerial tenure with Sweden got off to a slow start, with a heavy defeat by Switzerland and an uninspiring draw with Slovenia, but he was pleased to finally get his first win on the board.
“It was a big step forward,” he declared. “I liked how the team looked. They fought when they needed to against a good team, and Viktor's performance was incredible, of course.”
Ukraine boss Serhiy Rebrov also hailed Gyokeres as “one of the best strikers in Europe” post-match.
He will face a sterner test against Poland next week, with Robert Lewandowski in fine form as they beat Albania to keep their own qualification campaign alive on Thursday night.
Should Sweden progress to the World Cup, they will join the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia in Group F, with matches due to be staged in Monterrey, Houston and Dallas.