BY OUR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT IN VALENCIA
VIKTOR GYOKERES proved he is the real deal as he smashed a sensational hat-trick to put Graham Potter’s Sweden within touching distance of the 2026 World Cup.
In a high-stakes playoff semi-final at the Estadi Ciutat de València, the Arsenal marksman single-handedly dismantled a resilient Ukraine side, securing a 3-1 victory and silencing the doubters who questioned Sweden’s dismal qualifying group form.
Potter, who recently signed a long-term contract extension to 2030, watched his “Star Boy” turn the neutral ground into his personal playground. It took just six minutes for Gyokeres to draw first blood, ghosting into the box to stab home a cross from the clinical Benjamin Nygren.
Ukraine, spurred on by a vocal crowd, attempted to claw their way back through the trickery of Viktor Tsygankov, but they found Swedish veteran Kristoffer Nordfeldt in inspired form. The veteran keeper produced two world-class saves to deny Oleksandr Zubkov and keep the momentum firmly with the Swedes.
The second half belonged entirely to Gyokeres. In the 51st minute, he doubled the lead with a moment of pure Premier League quality—a “gossamer touch” to bypass the Ukrainian defense followed by a ruthless finish past Anatoliy Trubin.
When the Arsenal man won a penalty in the 73rd minute, there was only ever one outcome. He stepped up, dispatched the spot-kick with ice-cold composure, and completed a treble that sends a warning shot to the rest of the continent.
Ukraine, missing the presence of the injured Oleksandr Zinchenko and Artem Dovbyk, finally found a breakthrough in the 90th minute when substitute Matvii Ponomarenko headed home. But it was too little, too late.
The night belonged to the Swedish stars. While Lucas Bergvall dominated the engine room and Victor Lindelöf stood like a rock at the back, it was the man with the matchball who stole the headlines.
Sweden now march on to Stockholm for a “winner-takes-all” clash against Poland next Tuesday. If Gyokeres maintains this red-hot form, Potter’s men can start booking their flights to the States.
