Sweden's national football team has qualified for this summer's World Cup after a dramatic 3–2 victory over Poland in the playoff final at Strawberry Arena. Viktor Gyökeres scored the winner in the 88th minute amid chaos in front of goal. Anthony Elanga and Gustaf Lagerbielke netted the other goals.
On Tuesday evening, Strawberry Arena in Solna erupted as Sweden secured their World Cup spot. Anthony Elanga opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a volley assisted by Yasin Ayari and Gabriel Gudmundsson. Nicola Zalewski equalized for Poland just before halftime, but Gustaf Lagerbielke headed in 2–1 from Benjamin Nygren's free kick right before the break.
In the second half, Karol Swiderski leveled at 2–2 after 55 minutes. The drama peaked in the final minutes: Lucas Bergvall shot, Besfort Zeneli hit the post, and Gyökeres poked in the winner. "It's hard to put words on this, it was what everyone wanted", Gyökeres told Viaplay.
Coach Graham Potter was praised for turning a failed qualifying campaign into a World Cup berth via playoffs, including a 3–1 semifinal win over Ukraine where Gyökeres scored a hattrick. Poland equalized twice, but Sweden's will prevailed.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson congratulated the team but got champagne sprayed on him by Lagerbielke. "I'm happy to be a bit champagne-wet", he said. In the World Cup, Sweden faces Tunisia, Netherlands, and Japan, based in Dallas.
