Graham Potter's tenure as Sweden manager began with a 3-1 defeat to Switzerland in a World Cup qualifier in Geneva. The result leaves Sweden bottom of Group B, though they have secured a playoff spot through their Nations League performance.
Sweden competed well in the first half, equalising through Benjamin Nygren after Breel Embolo's opener. However, a controversial penalty converted by Granit Xhaka and a late goal from Dan Ndoye sealed the win for Switzerland. Alexander Isak made his return from injury as a substitute but looked rusty.
Potter's side were missing several key players, including Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Victor Lindelöf. Despite the defeat, Potter remains optimistic about building a competitive team ahead of the playoffs in March.
Switzerland's victory puts them on course for World Cup qualification, barring a heavy defeat in their final match against Kosovo. Sweden face Slovenia in a dead rubber on Tuesday, which Potter hopes to use to build confidence.
