Viktor Gyokeres became the first player ever to score in eight consecutive Nations League matches as his goalscoring run for Sweden continued with a brace in a 3-2 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Arsenal striker netted twice from the penalty spot for Graham Potter's side in Stockholm on Saturday night, helping Sweden hold off a fightback and secure promotion back to League A in Group B4 with a game to spare.
Two penalties set up the win
Gyokeres converted his first penalty after winning it himself following a foul by Stjepan Radeljic, putting Sweden 2-0 up after just 11 minutes following Daniel Svensson's early opener. He slammed in another spot-kick during first-half stoppage time after Svensson was fouled by former Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac.
Kolasinac scored himself in the second half after Armin Gigovic's header, setting up a lively finish at Strawberry Arena.
Record-breaking run
The 28-year-old has now scored 12 times in his eight-match Nations League scoring streak, including a four-goal haul against Azerbaijan in November 2024 while still at Sporting. He also scored in the away draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina last month and home and away against both Romania and Poland, plus in meetings with Slovakia and Estonia.
In total, Gyokeres has 18 goal contributions in his last 11 appearances for Sweden - 14 goals and four assists. His overall record for his country stands at 27 goals in 42 games, good for ninth place on an all-time list led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic that also includes Henrik Larsson.
Arsenal impact and next steps
Sweden's win also marked the return of Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski, who made his first international appearance in almost two years following a long-term kneecap injury. Gyokeres will hope to add to his tally on Tuesday night when Potter's team travel to meet Poland in Wroclaw.
Arsenal will be hoping to benefit from his strong Nations League performances as they seek to maintain their five-point lead at the Premier League summit when they return to action away at Newcastle next weekend. Only two of his eight goals this term have been for his club, in October's Carabao Cup last-16 defeat by Fleetwood and in the 2-1 victory at Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Gyokeres confirmed he "wanted" to stay at Arsenal despite struggles to impress. "It feels good when I've been playing," he said. "We've won most of our matches. It was a tough defeat in the cup [against Fleetwood]. Otherwise, things have felt good for me personally and for the team. I've done well recently when I've had the chance to play. Right now, it feels good."
