Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres
A winning goal does not always end the conversation. There is usually a second chance somewhere in the match, the one that would have made the scoreline look comfortable, and somebody on the pitch who still wants the assist that never arrived. Teammates remember those more clearly than the crowd does.
The useful nights are often the plain ones. A side that has been leaking goals can win without playing well, and a clean sheet can matter more than a second finish. That is a different kind of result from the one built on a hat-trick, and it tends to travel better into the next week.
What comes back with a player is rarely just the goals. It is the knock he took, the chance he missed, and whether he sounds like someone who wants the next match or someone still explaining the last one.
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Viktor Gyokeres rounded off the international break with the winner for Sweden, and a light-hearted accusation from a teammate who felt the Arsenal striker had cost him an assist on purpose. Gyokeres scored the only goal in a 1-0 Nations League win over Romania, leaving Sweden top of Group B4 with 10 points from a possible 12 and on course for promotion to League A.
He could have had a second. Eric Smith, the 29-year-old St Pauli defender who rarely registers assists, delivered a cross that left Gyokeres unmarked, and the chance went begging.
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Smith offered a tongue-in-cheek verdict to Swedish media. “I think he did it on purpose, yes,” he said. “No, but I think he thought the goalkeeper would take the ball, I actually thought so too. He was probably a little surprised. Then it was probably a little too high too. But we’ll all look at it together later and see what he thinks.”
Sweden still had plenty to take from the night. It was their first clean sheet in 19 matches, after conceding in each of the previous 18. “It’s nice to keep a clean sheet and be able to win in different ways,” Smith said. “It helps us as a group. Even though we didn’t have our best day offensively, we managed to win and that’s good.”
Viktor Gyokeres was more interested in the return from four Nations League fixtures than in the miss. “It feels good, it’s always nice to score a goal and get 10 points out of a possible 12,” he told TV4. “I feel in good shape.” He had been caught in the face by a stray elbow from a Romanian player, and treated it as useful rather than a grievance. “Of course, it’s frustrating for most people,” he said. “But it also triggers you, so it can be good. I got extra energy.”
He returns to north London scoring, in good shape, and through a physical game without a further issue. Arsenal host the next match needing a response to the 3-0 defeat at Brighton that came before the break. The hope is that the rhythm comes with him.