Viktor Gyokeres’ hat-trick moved Sweden a step closer to qualifying for the World Cup as Graham Potter’s side beat Ukraine in their semi-final on Thursday.
Arsenal star Gyokeres was the hero for his country in a 3-1 victory over Ukraine in Valencia.
The Swedish striker scored in the sixth and 51st minutes before completing his hat-trick with a 73rd-minute penalty.
Sweden will host Poland at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm on Tuesday, with the winner booking a place at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
‘We as a group dream a lot about a World Cup and so do I,’ Gyokeres told Viaplay.
‘We’ve never been there before and we had a good match today, but we need to do it again on Tuesday.’
Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick as Sweden beat Ukraine in their World Cup play-off semi-final
Graham Potter’s side are now just one win away from securing a place at the World Cup
Gyokeres has endured a mixed first season with Arsenal since his £64million move from Sporting Lisbon but remains a key man for Sweden.
He has now scored 18 goals in 31 appearances for his country, although his strikes in the win over Ukraine were his first for Sweden since 2024.
Victory against Ukraine was Sweden’s first since Potter took charge. The ex-Chelsea and West Ham boss signed a four-year contract extension earlier this month, despite his tricky start in the role.
‘It was a big step forward, I liked how the team looked. They fought when they needed to, against a good team. And Viktor’s performance was incredible, of course,’ said Potter.
Potter’s men are now just one win from a place at the World Cup, with Robert Lewandowski’s Poland standing in their way after they came from behind to beat Albania 2-1.
