A host of Leeds United players were in international action last night.
Leeds United defender Gabriel Gudmundsson will be at the World Cup this summer following Sweden’s play-off final victory over Poland on Tuesday.
In a relief for Leeds, Gudmundsson overcame a knock suffered against Ukraine last week to feature for Graham Potter’s side. The 26-year-old started and played 90 minutes as Sweden won 3-2 to book themselves a trip to the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Gudmundsson played a key role in his side’s opener, the Leeds left-back’s low cross finding Yasin Ayari whose deft touch set up Anthony Elanga to score inside 19 minutes. Nicola Zalewski levelled for Poland before Gustaf Lagerbielke made it 2-1 Sweden just before half-time.
A resilient Poland levelled for a second time through Karol Swiderski 10 minutes after half-time with the play-off decider set for extra-time - and Gudmundsson for another 30 minutes of football. But Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres swept home an 88th-minute winner to send Sweden to the World Cup.
Elsewhere, it was the absence of a Leeds player that caught attention on Tuesday evening, with Noah Okafor failing to make the Switzerland squad for a 0-0 friendly draw at Norway. The winger also missed last week’s defeat to Germany amid reports of a training ground knock.
Switzerland statement on Noah Okafor absence
Having published the starting-XI without Okafor or Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka, Switzerland’s official X account posted a brief statement that read: “Granit Xhaka and Noah Okafor are not in the squad today. Both are returning from an injury; this is a precautionary measure. The decision was made in consultation between the players and the coaching staff.”
Read More
Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow both played 90 minutes as Wales drew their friendly with Northern Ireland 1-1. Ethan Ampadu got 19 minutes off the bench while Daniel James was given the night off.
Jaka Bijol wore the captain’s armband for his nation and played the full 90 minutes as Slovenia beat Montenegro 3-2. Brenden Aaronson came off the bench for 10 minutes as the USA lost 2-0 at home to Portugal.
Continue Reading