Viktor Gyokeres scored for a seventh consecutive Nations League match as Sweden beat Romania 1-0 at Arena Nationala on Monday, maintaining their unbeaten start in Group B4.
The Arsenal striker settled the game in the 13th minute, turning the ball in from close range after Sebastian Nanasi’s cross had been diverted on to the woodwork at the back post.
It was Gyokeres’ fourth successive goal in this year’s Nations League campaign. His four goals are the joint-highest total in the competition, alongside Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Leo Walta, Michael Olise and Troy Parrott.
Gyokeres has played a key role for Graham Potter’s side since Alexander Isak withdrew from the Sweden squad because of injury. Sweden have won three of their four Group B4 matches and sit top of the section, putting themselves in a strong position to return to the Nations League’s top tier.
His international form could also prove important for Arsenal when the Premier League resumes. Kai Havertz was injured while playing for Germany, and Gyokeres is the likely replacement in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI for Saturday’s match against Leeds United.
The 28-year-old had not scored in his first five appearances for the Gunners in all competitions during 2026-27, starting only two of those games. However, he believes his goals over the international break have restored his confidence.
“It feels good. It feels like you get good chances, and then you score,” Gyokeres told Viaplay, as quoted by Fotbolldirekt.
“But we could have done more in the first half and killed the game.
“We let them play and didn’t get up in the press well enough in the second half, so we made it difficult for ourselves.”
Sweden controlled much of the match and created enough opportunities to win by a wider margin. Potter’s team recorded an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.8 from 12 shots, although only two attempts were on target. Romania had 13 shots but an xG total of 0.6.
Gyokeres also welcomed Sweden’s defensive performance, with the clean sheet their first in this year’s Nations League.
“It’s important for the team to have this type of match where things may not go exactly as we want,” he added.
“We managed to keep a clean sheet. It’s been a while, so that’s very positive. Then it’s clear that we need to control the match a little more.”
Sweden’s next Nations League fixture is against Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 14. They then face Poland three days later.
