Sweden kicked off their Nations League campaign with a key 2-1 victory over Romania at home on Friday night. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres found the net in a match where the team took early control but had to battle for the three points.
Isak opened the scoring in the 20th minute following a fine delivery from Yasin Ayari. Romania equalised quickly through Dennis Man nine minutes later. Just before half-time, Sweden regained the lead when Viktor Gyokeres tapped in the rebound after Lucas Bergvall's shot was saved. "Isak has put last season's struggles behind him at Liverpool, already netting four goals in his seven games for them in all competitions," was noted about the striker's form.
In the second half, Sweden suffered a setback when a goal by Elliot Stroud was ruled out after a VAR check for a handball by Isak in the build-up. Despite Romania receiving five yellow cards and committing 17 fouls, the Swedish defence held firm. Viktor Gyokeres, who has reportedly had a tough start to the season with Arsenal, got a vital confidence-boosting goal here.
A 60% possession share and eleven shots showed a controlled Swedish performance. The win puts Sweden top of their Nations League group. It's a positive start to the autumn international window, where the team also sits third in World Cup qualifying with four points. The next challenge comes on Monday when Poland visit Stockholm.
