Monday night brought a sharp Scandinavian finish, six goals in Bucharest and a scoreless draw elsewhere in Nations League B. Sweden’s 3-1 win over Poland featured a Ligue 1 link as Rennes midfielder Sebastian Szymanski struck for the visitors, but Graham Potter’s side pulled clear after the interval.
Key takeaways
- Sweden followed their 2-1 victory over Romania three days earlier by beating Poland 3-1.
- Benjamin Nygren, Yasin Ayari and Viktor Gyökeres scored for Sweden, with Szymanski briefly levelling for Poland.
- Bosnia-Herzegovina won 4-2 away to Romania after building a two-goal advantage inside 19 minutes.
- Armin Gigovic, Tarik Muharemovic, Haris Tabakovic and Ermin Mahmic were on target for Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- Hungary and Northern Ireland finished their match without a goal, drawing 0-0.
Sweden find their second-half edge
Sweden made the early breakthrough against Poland in the eighth minute, when Celtic forward Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring. Poland recovered before the break through Szymanski, the Rennes player striking in the 43rd minute to send the teams in level.
Potter’s Sweden took control again after the hour. Brighton’s 22-year-old midfielder Yasin Ayari restored the lead in the 63rd minute, before Gyökeres added a third nine minutes later to settle the contest.
The result continued Sweden’s productive run after their recent 2-1 success against Romania. Poland could not turn Szymanski’s equaliser into a platform for a comeback as the Swedish attack found greater space in the closing half-hour.
Bosnia-Herzegovina survive Romania’s response
Bosnia-Herzegovina delivered the most open match of the evening in Romania, winning 4-2 after a fast start. Gigovic put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute and Muharemovic doubled their advantage seven minutes later.
Romania gave themselves hope when Daniel Birligea scored in the 28th minute. Bosnia-Herzegovina, led by Sead Kolasinac’s teammates, replied before half-time as Tabakovic made it 3-1 in the 40th minute.
Mahmic extended the margin shortly after the restart, scoring Bosnia-Herzegovina’s fourth in the 55th minute. Alexandru Cicaldau reduced the deficit again seven minutes later, but Romania could not produce another response and the visitors saw out the win.
Elsewhere in League B, Hungary and Northern Ireland shared a 0-0 draw in a match that never produced the decisive moment seen in Sweden or Romania.
