Guadalupe [Mexico], June 9 (ANI): Swedish footballer Viktor Gyokeres expressed pleasure over his crew making it to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and likewise mirrored on his dramatic 88th-minute match-winning objective to safe a 3-2 victory for Sweden over Poland within the World Cup qualification playoff last earlier this 12 months.
Sweden recovered from a poor UEFA qualifying marketing campaign to safe a spot on the showpiece occasion. They completed backside of Group B within the European qualifiers and not using a win however nonetheless reached the play-offs by their UEFA Nations League rating, in response to the FIFA web site.
Under supervisor Graham Potter, Sweden beat Ukraine 3-1 within the semi-finals, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick. In a tense last, Gyokeres struck once more, netting an 88th-minute winner as Sweden edged Poland 3-2 to qualify for the World Cup.
Sweden will function of their thirteenth FIFA World Cup, aiming to equal their best-ever outcome on American soil — a outstanding third-place end at USA 1994. After lacking out on qualification for Qatar 2022, Graham Potter will likely be hoping to construct on Sweden’s latest momentum as they return to soccer’s largest stage.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which goes to be performed from June 12 (as per the Indian Standard Time) within the US, Mexico and Canada, Gyokeres mentioned he felt proud and overwhelmed after scoring the profitable objective towards Poland, expressing happiness for himself and the crew for qualifying for the World Cup.
‘I really feel unimaginable, (I really feel) proud. It’s loads of feelings to absorb. I’m grateful and I’m actually happy for myself and for the crew that we lastly made it to the World Cup. It’s one of the vital vital targets I’ve ever scored in my profession, if not a very powerful,’ he mentioned as quoted by the FIFA web site.
Gyokeres mentioned the match introduced a mixture of feelings and was overwhelming, however he valued taking part in in such high-pressure video games. He added that serving to Sweden win and safe qualification was an unimaginable expertise and an enormous confidence increase for each him and the crew.
‘It was a mixture of every part, every kind of feelings and it was, after all, loads to absorb. But I believe it is nice to have these sort of video games in your profession, and to have the ability to be within the place to play these is wonderful. To then do it out on the pitch and to win the sport is unimaginable. To assist the crew the way in which I did now in these two video games is a lift for me and for the crew,’ he mentioned.
Sweden’s FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage schedule begins on June 15 towards Tunisia at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico. They will then face the Netherlands on June 20 at Houston Stadium in Texas, US, earlier than concluding their group marketing campaign towards Japan on June 26 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, US. (ANI)