Sweden beat Poland 3-2, confirming that head coach E. Hamrén has taken his national side back to a World Cup after an eight-year absence, and leaving M. Probierz to explain how his team exited the play-off final in Solna despite holding 67 percent possession.
Hamrén again trusted the 3-4-2-1 that has steadied Sweden’s qualifying run, with Viktor Gyökeres leading the line and Anthony Elanga plus Benjamin Nygren supporting. Poland mirrored the shape, Probierz pairing Robert Lewandowski with Karol Świderski while Nicola Zalewski provided the width on the left. Sweden struck first: in the 19th minute Yasin Ayari pierced Poland’s midfield and slipped Elanga through for the opener. Poland levelled in the 33rd minute when Piotr Zieliński’s through ball released Zalewski, whose finish punished Sweden’s slow recovery down the inside channels.
Two moments before the interval swung the contest back. Jakub Kiwior received a yellow card in the 43rd minute for dissent, and Sweden reclaimed the lead in the 44th minute when Nygren’s angled delivery picked out Gustaf Lagerbielke for a set-piece goal. Sweden held a 2-1 advantage at the break with only 33 percent possession, their shape protected by Kristoffer Nordfeldt’s command in the air and Victor Lindelöf’s calm handling of Lewandowski.
Poland emerged with their wing-backs pushed higher and Zieliński dictating, and they equalised in the 55th minute when Zalewski drove down the left and squared for Świderski to score. Poland’s pressure produced five Nordfeldt saves and nine corners, yet it opened space in behind. Jesper Karlström was booked on 62 minutes as Sweden’s midfield stretched, prompting Hamrén to introduce Besfort Zeneli and Lucas Bergvall in the 69th minute. Bergvall’s energy earned him a 76th-minute yellow card but also helped disrupt Poland after Probierz had withdrawn Świderski for Oskar Pietuszewski on 63 minutes, a change that reduced the visitors’ penalty-box threat.
Sweden dropped into a back five when Gustav Lundgren replaced Nygren on 81 minutes, and extra-time seemed imminent until Gyökeres intervened. The Sporting CP forward, tracked tightly by Jan Bednarek and Przemysław Wiśniewski all night, latched onto a loose ball in the 88th minute and finished decisively. Probierz responded by introducing Krzysztof Piątek and Kamil Grosicki on 90 minutes, but Piątek’s frustration showed with a yellow card in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Sweden closed the match out efficiently, highlighted by Mattias Svanberg’s late cameo for Ayari.
Context matters. Sweden staggered through Group B with just two points and a minus-eight goal difference but regrouped via the play-off path, edging higher-seeded sides to reach this final. Their compact block, Nordfeldt’s five stops, and clinical goals from Elanga, Lagerbielke, and Gyökeres revived a nation that missed Qatar 2022. Poland, runners-up to the Netherlands in Group G, now miss the finals for the first time since 2014. Possession alone was not enough once Świderski departed, and Probierz faces a long off-season and inevitable questions about refreshing an ageing attack or sticking with Lewandowski.
Key stats:
- Possession: Sweden 33 percent, Poland 67 percent
- Expected goals: Sweden 1.52, Poland 1.36
- Shots on target: Sweden 5, Poland 7
- Saves: Kristoffer Nordfeldt 5, Kamil Grabara 2
- Corners: Sweden 2, Poland 9
Next for Hamrén is the June draw and the task of keeping this 3-4-2-1 framework intact while integrating Mattias Svanberg and Lucas Bergvall into the midfield rotation. Probierz, meanwhile, heads into a longer summer of review sessions before friendlies resume, with the federation weighing whether to rebuild the forward line or give Lewandowski one more qualifying cycle.
