Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres may have moved clubs for a combined fee of £180 million during the summer transfer window, but the Swedish strikeforce blanked once again as their nation look set to miss out on the 2026 World Cup. A 1-0 home defeat by Kosovo leaves Sweden on the brink of elimination from the qualifying round, having now picked up just a single point from four games.
After putting in a poor display in the previous loss against Switzerland, Liverpool’s new record signing Isak once again struggled to put in a performance befitting of a £125 million centre-forward. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s number nine didn’t fare any better.
Neither man has found the back of the net in the four qualifying matches they’ve played so far, highlighting a major issue for boss Jon Dahl Tomasson. To have two of the deadliest strikers in world football last term unable to function together is alarming, to say the least.
Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres Have Nightmares vs Kosovo
Gyokeres struggled to get into goalscoring positions during the disappointing home defeat on Monday night, as the Gunners’ main striker had only two attempts during the 90 minutes. Isak, on the other hand, had six shots but failed to make the most of his chances.
The press in Sweden decided not to hold back in their assessment of the players following the damaging loss. Media outlet Expressen gave strong thoughts on what they had just witnessed, as they wrote:
“The players look completely broken. The experience must be traumatising for them too.
“Of course, there is also justified criticism of their efforts, but at the same time it is incomprehensible how one can imagine that we are seeing a collective collapse of attitudes.”
Tomasson wasn’t spared from the criticism, as the writer noted he hadn’t be so sure a managerial change was needed ‘since Alan Pardew managed Newcastle’. Not many would’ve expected such a comparison.
Fotbollskanalen were specifically critical of both Isak and Gyokeres, with the latter being held up for a particularly brutal assessment. They wrote: “Sweden needed Viktor at his best for this crucial World Cup qualifying match. But he didn’t have it in decisive moments.”
Liverpool star Isak was let off the hook slightly more as he was described to be ‘quick in body and mind but tired too early’. The 26-year-old forward was then slammed for his failure to make his opportunities count on the night: “Ran on many balls. Had a shot in the post that was worth a better fate … However, did not succeed very often with his actions.”
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt and SofaScore.