Gyokeres leads Sweden to Nations League win and the Dutch reach the knockout rounds
Sweden's Viktor Gyökeres, centre, in action against Slovakia's Dávid Hancko, left, and Milan Škriniar during the UEFA Nations League group C1 soccer match between Sweden and Slovakia at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Jakob Åkersten Brodén
Viktor Gyokeres led Sweden to a 2-1 win over Slovakia while the Netherlands qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday.
Germany also set a single-game scoring record for the relatively new competition — this is its fourth edition — by routing Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-0.
Gyokeres took his nation’s opening goal in the third minute. After Slovakia's David Hancko leveled in the 19th, the Sporting Lisbon striker set up Aleksander Isak to put Sweden back in front for good in the 31st.
Gyokeres is the joint leading scorer of the Nations League with five along with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko. Gyokeres recently upstaged Erling Haaland by scoring a hat trick as Sporting beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League.
Sweden is trying to earn promotion from League C to League B. Estonia finished at Azerbaijan 0-0 in the same group.
The Netherlands joined Germany as the two teams from League A, Group 3 to advance to the quarterfinals in March.
The Dutch easily won their game in Amsterdam, which was briefly suspended in the first half for the medical evacuation of Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai. The Hungarian Football Federation said the former player was in “stable” condition after being taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
Sweden's Viktor Gyökeres, 17, celebrates with his teammates after scoring their side's first goal during the UEFA Nations League group C1 soccer match between Sweden and Slovakia at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Pontus Lundahl
Wout Weghorst converted a penalty in the 21st and Cody Gapko added a second spot kick in first-half injury time. Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners added second-half goals.
Germany rolls to record win
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz scored twice, including from a superb free kick, to help fuel the Germans' demolition of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Forward Tim Kleindienst also got his first two international goals, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane all added to the lopsided scoreline in Freiburg.
League B
Wales escaped with a scoreless draw from Turkey after the host's top scorer Kerem Akturkoglu missed an 89th-minute penalty. Akturkoglu, who leads Turkey with four goals in the Nations League, sent his spot kick off the post.
Ronald Koeman, head coach of the Netherlands, right shakes hands with Wout Weghorst of the Netherlands at the end of the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Netherlands and Hungary, at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. Credit: AP/Patrick Post
Iceland won at Montenegro 2-0 after late goals by Orri Oskarsson and Isak Bergmann. The loss meant Montenegro will be relegated to League C.
A goal by Georges Mikautadze got Georgia a 1-1 draw at home with Ukraine after an own goal by Solomon Kverkvelia put the visitors ahead.
The Czech Republic missed the chance to earn promotion from League B after drawing at Albania 0-0.
League D
Virgiliu Postolachi scored in injury time to give Moldova a 1-0 win in Andorra.
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