Graham Potter took a Nations League lead after his team beat Romania 2-1 on Friday at the Strawberry Arena, with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres adding goals.
Liverpool striker Isak found the first open goal in the 20th minute, after being sent on Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari, to score the first goal. The striker held out the pressure to wallop Romania keeper Ionut Radu into the far post to give Sweden the lead.
The score was the latest in a successful campaign for Isak, who has registered four goals in his first five Premier League starts of the season. His style of play has kept him one of the most significant attacking players in Sweden.
In reply, Romania came on the counter-attack with Dennis Man equalising after just nine minutes of the game. The visitors goal turned the tide of the game and put a strain on Potter’s side going into the break.
But Arsenal’s Gyokeres hit the post early in the first half to even the score before they were again put ahead by Swede Gyorvary. After Radu made a mistake in the Romanian goal, the first letter was capitalised. Gyokeres came back strong, grabbed the loose ball and fired home from up close to evened the score for Sweden.
With a fairly unflashy debut season at Arsenal, he made an impact on the international stage. Gyokeres had only appeared for the club in two matches this Premier League season and had made just two substitute appearances, when he made his big break for his country.
The outcome puts Potter three points ahead in his opening game of the Nations League and puts Sweden on top of League B Group 4.
