Gyokeres Bags Hat-Trick as Sweden Close in on World Cup, While Kosovo Deliver a Seven-Goal Thriller

Arsenal's Hitman Reminds Everyone What He Does Best

Viktor Gyokeres picked a fine evening to remember where the net was. The Arsenal forward, who had gone through the entire 2026 qualifying campaign without troubling the scorers for Sweden, decided a World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine was the perfect moment to bag a hat-trick. Timing, as they say, is everything.

Graham Potter's side ran out 3-1 winners at the neutral venue of Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, with Ukraine unable to host due to the ongoing conflict with Russia. Gyokeres opened the scoring after just six minutes, doubled the lead on 51, and then coolly slotted home a penalty on 73 minutes to complete his treble. Ponomarenko pulled one back for Ukraine in the 90th minute, but it was little more than a consolation.

Sweden now face Poland in Tuesday's play-off final on 31 March, and you would fancy their chances given the form Gyokeres is suddenly in. It is believed to be Sweden's first three-goal haul in a World Cup qualifier since October 2021, though do not quote us on that one.

Kosovo Produce the Night's Real Drama

If Sweden's victory was clinical, Kosovo's was utterly chaotic. The 79th-ranked nation (one of the youngest in international football, having only played their first match in March 2014 against Haiti) produced a stunning 4-3 comeback win over Slovakia in front of 20,113 fans.

Slovakia looked comfortable early on. Valjent headed them in front after six minutes, and when Haraslin curled in a free-kick right before half-time, Kosovo appeared to be heading for the exit. But this squad clearly had not read the script.

Hodza had already pulled one back on 21 minutes, and the second half belonged entirely to Kosovo. Asllani equalised two minutes after the restart. Muslija put them ahead on 60 minutes. Hajrizi made it four on 72. Slovakia, to their credit, threw everything forward, and Middlesbrough striker David Strelec bundled one in deep into stoppage time, but Kosovo held firm.

For a nation that only gained FIFA membership in May 2016, the prospect of a World Cup debut is genuinely extraordinary. They are one tie away from making history.

Elsewhere: Lewandowski Rolls Back the Years, Turkey Edge Through

Poland came from behind to beat Albania 2-1 in a match that felt inevitable the moment Robert Lewandowski stepped onto the pitch. Hoxha gave Albania the lead on 42 minutes, but the 37-year-old Lewandowski equalised on 63, likely in what will be his final World Cup qualification campaign. Zielinski then sealed it with a tidy finish on 73 minutes. Poland now await Sweden in what promises to be a tasty final.

Turkey edged past Romania 1-0 thanks to Brighton full-back Ferdi Kadioglu, who has been in scintillating form this season and scored the only goal on 53 minutes. A World Cup spot for Turkey would be their first since that famous third-place finish in 2002, which still feels like a fever dream.

Denmark, meanwhile, were utterly ruthless against North Macedonia, winning 4-0 with all four goals coming after the break. Brentford's Mikkel Damsgaard opened the floodgates on 49 minutes before Gustav Isaksen bagged a rapid brace in the 58th and 59th minutes. Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard rounded things off on 75 minutes.

Northern Ireland had a rather less enjoyable evening, going down 2-0 to Italy. The less said about that, the better.

The Verdict

A cracking night of World Cup play-off football. Gyokeres reminded us all of his quality, Kosovo gave us a genuine fairytale, and Lewandowski proved that age is just a number on the back of a very expensive shirt. Tuesday's finals cannot come quickly enough.

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