No player had ever scored in eight successive UEFA Nations League matches. Viktor Gyokeres now has.

The Arsenal striker converted twice from the spot inside the first half as Sweden beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-2 at the Strawberry Arena in Solna on Saturday. Daniel Svensson had already headed in from a corner after five minutes before Gyokeres won and buried his first penalty on 11 minutes, then finished a cool second in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-0. Bosnia pulled a goal back through Armin Gigovic almost immediately after the restart, and Sead Kolasinac nodded in a second on the hour, but Sweden held on.

That win confirmed Graham Potter’s side as winners of Nations League B Group 4 and took them up to League A. Gyokeres’s brace also pushed his Nations League tally to 16 career goals in the competition.

Second-half slip bothered Gyokeres

Gyokeres was not inclined to celebrate the record for long. Asked about Sweden allowing Bosnia a route back into the match, he told beIN Sports the mood of the two halves could not have been more different.

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“The first half was more fun to play, then in the second half it was the exact opposite.”

He put the drop in intensity down to the group situation already being settled by the break, describing the lapse as a mental one rather than a tactical failure.

There was also the small matter of who took the second penalty. Alexander Isak had wanted it, but Gyokeres kept the ball and dispatched it himself, telling beIN Sports his teammate had been keen but that he had been determined to take it this time.

Havertz or Gyokeres at Newcastle

Gyokeres arrived on international duty on the back of a strong club run with Arsenal, having scored and set up Noni Madueke in the 2-1 Champions League win over Slavia Prague on 4 November.

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Mikel Arteta will now decide whether to restore Gyokeres to the line against Newcastle on 21 November or stick with Kai Havertz, who led the attack in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Hull City in the last Premier League fixture before the break.

Sweden finish their Nations League campaign away to Poland on Tuesday.

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