Sweden beat Poland 3-1 in their UEFA Nations League League B - 2 match at Strawberry Arena on Sunday evening. Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Sebastian Szymański restored parity just before the break. Yasin Ayari restored the home side's advantage early in the second half and Viktor Gyökeres sealed the result with a goal in the 72nd minute.
By then it was clear this would be decided by moments rather than sustained pressure. Sweden created four big chances against Poland's one, while their expected goals tally of 2.15 to 0.91 reflected the quality of opportunities each side generated. Poland kept knocking on the door with seven shots on target, but their accuracy of 39 per cent told the story of a team that couldn't find the finish they needed.
The yellow card for Daniel Svensson in the 19th minute came after a rash challenge, and Piotr Zieliński picked up two bookings in five minutes around the hour mark. Robert Lewandowski was shown his card in stoppage time, but by then the result was beyond doubt. Sweden held on grimly despite Poland's late pressure.
What surprised me was how evenly matched the teams appeared in possession. Sweden edged 52-48 in control but Poland pushed the ball into the final third 128 times to Sweden's 112. The hosts had more attacks at 98 to 89, yet Poland's 14 key passes suggested they were finding spaces more effectively. And here's the thing — many shots with one goal means chances went begging.
We had given Sweden a 59 per cent chance of victory before kickoff, and the result confirmed that assessment. Their recent form had been inconsistent — a 5-1 win against Tunisia followed by a 1-5 defeat to the Netherlands — but they showed maturity in this encounter. Poland's draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday left them second in the table with one point, while Sweden moved clear at the top with three points from one game.
The substitutions told their own story. Poland brought on Besfort Zeneli and Tymoteusz Puchacz in the 63rd and 65th minutes, but the changes came too late to alter the complexion of the game. Sweden made six changes in total, bringing on Matty Cash, Benjamin Nygren, Patrick Walemark, and others as they managed the closing stages. The final whistle brought a comfortable victory for the hosts.
