Graham Potter’s reign as Sweden manager began with a 3-1 defeat in Switzerland, leaving the nation’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. The result leaves them bottom of Group B, but a superior Nations League record has secured a playoff place. Potter has four and a half months to turn around a side that collapsed in the second half on Thursday night.
Sweden fought back after falling behind to Breel Embolo’s early strike, with Benjamin Nygren equalising before half-time. However, the second half unravelled after Gabriel Gudmundsson’s errant back-pass led to a controversial penalty. Granit Xhaka converted and Dan Ndoye added a third before Johan Manzambi sealed the win for Switzerland.
Potter was without several key players, including Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Victor Lindelöf. Alexander Isak returned from injury as a substitute but appeared rusty. “It’s not an easy situation to come into,” Potter said. “He’ll get better the more he plays.”
Switzerland, now assured of a World Cup spot barring an improbable goal swing, showed the clinical edge Sweden lack. Potter admitted his side came up short. “In the end we came up a little bit short against a team that are in a better place than us,” he said. Sweden face Slovenia on Tuesday in a dead rubber, with Potter hoping to build confidence ahead of the playoffs.
