World Cup Qualifier – Dzekereš scores a hat-trick, Sweden defeats Ukraine 3-1 to advance to the final.

In the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers play-offs, Sweden easily defeated Ukraine 3-1 at the Valencia City Stadium in Spain. They will face Poland in the play-off final for a place in the World Cup.

In the match against Ukraine, Sweden dominated from the start. In the 6th minute, Benjamin Nigren delivered a cross from the left side of the penalty area, and Viktor Dzekeresch headed the ball in front of goal. In the 10th minute, Nigren took a corner from the right, and Isaac Hein's header in the penalty area went over the crossbar. In the 25th minute, Yassin Ayari delivered a precise long pass from the back, and Gabriel Gudmundsson made a high-speed breakthrough to the left side of the penalty area before his shot hit the far post.

After the break, Sweden continued to dominate the game. In the 48th minute, Gustav Ragbilk headed the ball across the box, and Karl Stafelt's close-range shot was saved by Anatoly Trubin. Sweden then launched another attack on Ukraine, but shots from players like Jesper Kallström and Gudmundsson either went wide or were blocked by opposing players.

In the 51st minute, Viktor Tsygankov played a diagonal pass into the penalty area, and Alexander Zubkov's follow-up shot was saved by Kristoff Nordfürth. Nordfürth then launched a long pass to Dzekereš in the attacking third, who made a long run to score again. In the 73rd minute, Dzekereš dribbled into the penalty area and was brought down by Trubin, earning Sweden a penalty. He then converted the penalty himself, extending Sweden's lead to 3-0.

In the 90th minute, Ragbilk's clearance in the penalty area gifted Matvey Ponomarenko an opportunity to head the ball into the net, pulling one back for Ukraine. Nevertheless, Sweden still defeated Ukraine 3-1, eliminating them from the competition.

Image source: Internet