JuicyTalk
Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick as Sweden overcame Ukraine 3-1 in their World Cup play-off semi-final, teeing up a winner-take-all meeting with Poland.
The Arsenal striker scored with all three of his shots in the game, which was played on neutral ground in Valencia, as Graham Potter earned his first win in the job at the ideal time.
Gyokeres only needed six minutes to open the scoring from almost beneath the crossbar, following a drilled cross from Benjamin Nygren, and his second goal was a prodded finish into the far corner in the 51st minute.
He then clinched the match ball from the penalty spot, making Matvii Ponomarenko’s 90th-minute strike a mere consolation for Ukraine.
Sweden will now host Poland with a tournament place on the line, after Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski struck in a 2-1 comeback win over Albania.
Arber Hoxha put Albania ahead with a wonderful goal shortly before half-time, but Lewandowski’s far-post header and Zielinski’s thunderous finish from distance flipped the script as Poland kept their qualification hopes alive.
Another play-off final will pit Turkiye against Kosovo, with Ferdi Kadioglu’s goal proving enough for Vincenzo Montella’s side to beat Romania 1-0.
Kosovo had to do things the hard way, coming from behind on two occasions to win 4-3 in Slovakia, with Kreshnik Hajrizi’s 72nd-minute goal proving to be the winner.
Denmark also hit four goals, but without reply, against North Macedonia, and their play-off final opponents will be Czechia after their penalty shoot-out win over the Republic of Ireland.
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) March 26, 2026
Data Debrief: Gyokeres finds his shooting boots
Gyokeres has faced criticism from some quarters during his debut season with Arsenal, but with his three goals coming from an expected goals (xG) figure of 1.83 on Thursday, he was at his clinical best.
The striker’s goals were his first for Sweden since November 2024, when he netted his only other international hat-trick, scoring four times in a 6-0 rout of Azerbaijan.
