Alexander Isak featured for Sweden as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg on Saturday evening.
The Newcastle United star has been in great form on Tyneside this season, with 23 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions.
Alexander Isak was superb in the Carabao Cup final last weekend and Wembley was shaking when he doubled Newcastle’s lead against Liverpool.
He was already a fan favourite at St James’ Park and now he is a Newcastle cup winner. But Eddie Howe will want Alexander Isak to make sure he continues his strong form with plenty left to play for this season.
Newcastle will resume their Champions League push when players return from international duty. For Isak, his break with the national team did not get off to a good start.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Isak is one of 14 Newcastle players on international duty this month, and the first of Sweden’s two friendly matches took place on Saturday.
Up against Luxembourg – who are ranked 92nd in Fifa’s standings – Sweden suffered an embarrassing 1-0 defeat.
Isak started up front and played for 60 minutes before being replaced, and Swedish media weren’t overly impressed by his display.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Swedish outlet Fotboll Skanalen gave Isak just a 2/5 rating after the full-time whistle.
They added: “Captain for the day and came close to making it 1-0 early. Offered technical brilliance in some isolated actions but overall Sweden needs more from the star. Weak second.”
Alexander Isak match stats vs Luxembourg
Despite playing against weaker opposition, Isak was unable to find the back of the net or make the difference for his side.
Sweden dominated possession with 71% and took more shots than their opposition, but Isak and his teammates struggled to break down Luxembourg’s organised defence.
Here are Isak’s stats from Sweden’s disappointing defeat:
Minutes played 61
Touches 40
Completed passes 82% (23/28)
Key passes 1
Shots attempted 3
Dribbles completed 66% (2/3)
Duels won 80% (4/5)
Alexander Isak match stats for Sweden vs Luxembourg.
READ MORE: Newcastle United set to do something unprecedented to stop Alexander Isak from leaving
Isak managed three shots against Luxembourg but only one was on target. He nearly scored early on for the visitors but beyond that he was fairly starved of service.
He will hope for a better performance on Tuesday evening when Sweden take on Northern Ireland in an international friendly.
After that, focus will turn to Newcastle’s Carabao Cup celebrations on March 29th.