Benjamin Nygren praised as Sweden eye World Cup glory against Poland

Sweden head coach Graham Potter and forward Viktor Gyokeres have both lauded Celtic’s attacking midfielder Benjamin Nygren…

Benjamin Nygren celebrates
Football. FIFA World Cup, 2026 UEFA Qualifiers. season 2025/2026. round KO play-offs semifinal – path B match between Ukraine and Sweden in Valencia, Spain. Daniel Svensson Benjamin Nygren Anthony. Elanga Fot. Tomasz Karczewski / Arena Akcji/ newspix.pl

Nygren featured prominently in Sweden’s attacking line-up, joining high-profile forwards Gyokeres and Anthony Elanga in Thursday’s 3-1 victory over Ukraine.

The result secures Sweden a place in a decisive play-off final against Poland tonight, with a coveted spot in Group B of this summer’s World Cup at stake. Switzerland, Canada, and Qatar await in the group.

Nygren made a telling contribution, delivering a pinpoint cross to assist Gyokeres’ opening goal. The Arsenal striker went on to produce a standout performance, scoring a hat-trick for his country.

Benjamin Nygren on international duty with Sweden
Benjamin Nygren on international duty with Sweden. Photo social media

Gyokeres has enjoyed a prolific campaign since his summer move from Sporting CP, scoring 16 goals for Premier League leaders Arsenal and continuing his impressive form at international level.

Speaking post-match, Gyokeres said via The Herald: “I’ve played with Benji a lot before in the under-21 national team. I know him well and he’s done extremely well at Celtic. He’s a great player.”

Meanwhile, Graham Potter added: “I’ve been impressed with Benji since I met him. He’s an intelligent player and a very good guy. He’s a team player. He understands what we’re trying to do. He’s a super important player for us.”

Potter had previously been put forward as a potential candidate for the Celtic managerial position by former Sweden international Johan Mjallby before opting to extend his deal with the national team through to 2030.

The 50-year-old first made his name in Sweden, overseeing a remarkable rise with Ostersunds FK as he guided the club from the fourth tier to the top flight, along with a memorable run to the Europa League knockout rounds.

Potter became available after being dismissed by West Ham United, bringing an end to a brief nine-month spell in charge at the London Stadium.

Best of luck to Benjamin Nygren this evening.

Conor Spence

Post your own thoughts in the comments section below…

Quick Tip – Add thecelticstar.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!

Click to join Celtic Pools
Click to join Celtic Pools

Introducing The Celtic Star App and our new ad-free Premium Service...

Go ad-free on The Celtic Star, get a FREE trial period to try it out. Also download our new App – available for both Apple and Android – and get the best Celtic content on your phone without fighting through pop-up ads and being forced to watch videos.

Our new PREMIUM service comes with a free seven-day trial so you can look before you book. If you are happy to continue the price will be just 99p per month or £9.99 for the year. For that you get an AD-FREE SITE plus access to our premium content, and you’ll also help us make The Celtic Star even better and less reliant on advertising revenues, allowing us to be more focused on publishing the best Celtic features on the internet.

Click HERE to access your FREE trial. We think you’ll like it! We’re Obsessed with Celtic and we think you are too! Join us hand in hand...

About Author

A current fourth year student studying History and Journalism, Media and Communications at the University of Strathclyde and now writing regularly about the Hoops for The Celtic Star.

Comments are closed.