The Arsenal striker followed his three-goal haul against Ukraine by settling the Poland tie and sending Sweden through to North America.
Viktor Gyokeres sent Sweden to the World Cup with a late winner against Poland, completing a play-off run in which the Arsenal striker stepped up when his country needed him the most.
Having already scored three times against Ukraine in the first play-off match, Gyokeres was decisive again as Sweden came through a tense second half to seal qualification for the tournament in North America.
With the game against Poland poised at 2-2, he scored in the 88th minute to secure Sweden’s place at the World Cup.
It was a night that clearly meant a great deal to the striker, not only because of what was at stake, but because of the way it was achieved. “It’s hard to put this into words, this is what we all wanted and [to] get to do it at home, it’s indescribable,” he said after the match.
“And the way we do it. We believe in it to the last. That’s why we’re in the World Cup.”
“[We were] Maybe a little too defensive, but you had to take what was needed today. As long as we win football games, I couldn’t care less!
“You try to be connected and in the situations, to be present, and I felt that I was at the end. It’s hard to find words on how it felt after the goal.”
He added: “I’ll remember that for a long time.”
After the final whistle, Sweden supporters repeatedly sang his name, recognition for a player who had hauled his side through both play-off matches and into the finals. Asked what it felt like to hear that and know qualification had been secured, Gyokeres said: “It’s just joy, goosebumps! I love them all, ” he said of the fans.
Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Riccardo Calafiori‘s whose Italy side had taken the lead before being reduced to 10 men against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Italians held out until the 79th minute when Haris Tabakovic scored an equaliser before going out on penalties.
Christian Norgaard‘s Denmark also crashed out, drawing the game against Czechia 2-2 but also exiting on spot kicks.