It was a September international break to forget for Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres, who featured in both of Sweden’s World Cup qualifying fixtures.
The 27-year-old looked sharp in the first outing against Slovenia, where his movement and link-up play impressed even if he couldn’t find the back of the net. But only a few days later, Gyökeres and his teammates were left stunned in Pristina as Sweden fell to a 2-0 defeat against Kosovo — a result few saw coming.
Sweden’s attacking pair struggle in Kosovo
Head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson paired Gyökeres with Anthony Elanga up front, but the duo rarely troubled the hosts’ backline. Kosovo’s resilience and energy overwhelmed the Swedes, who were second-best in most areas of the pitch.
The Swedish press did not hold back in their criticism of Gyökeres. Both Fotbollskanalen and SvenskaFans branded the forward “invisible” in their post-match reviews.
Fotbollskanalen noted that while he had a “decent” first half, the Arsenal man faded badly after the break. SvenskaFans, who handed Gyökeres a brutal match rating of 1, went further: “Anonymous and invisible when we needed him most.”
For a player expected to lead the line, it was a damning assessment.
Arsenal form casts a shadow
It hasn’t been the smoothest start to the season for Gyökeres at club level either. Arsenal have been accused of failing to adapt their attacking approach to the Swede’s style, leaving him isolated in their opening Premier League fixtures. That narrative seemed to follow him onto the international stage, with similar frustrations evident in Kosovo.
A closer look at the numbers
While the headlines painted a bleak picture, Gyökeres’ underlying statistics tell a slightly different story. Data provider Sofascore awarded him a respectable 7.2 match rating, the second-highest of any Swedish player on the night.
Viktor Gyökeres vs Kosovo (2-0 defeat):
44 touches 2 shots 100% successful dribbles 2 chances created 4 duels won
Those numbers suggest Gyökeres was more involved than the “invisible” tag implies, though his efforts ultimately came without reward.
Sweden under pressure
Regardless of individual performances, Sweden’s defeat was a major setback in their qualifying campaign. A fixture they were expected to win ended in disappointment, leaving Tomasson and his players under mounting pressure ahead of October’s international break.
For Gyökeres, the challenge now is to shake off the “invisible” label and start delivering the kind of decisive moments that Arsenal and Sweden are counting on.
