Gyokeres accused of missing goal 'on purpose' by Sweden teammate

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Viktor Gyokeres rounded off the international break with the winning goal for Sweden — and a light-hearted accusation from a teammate who felt the Arsenal striker cost him an assist on purpose.

Gyokeres scored the only goal as Sweden beat Romania 1-0 in the final game of their Nations League group campaign, a result that leaves them top of Group B4 with 10 points from a possible 12 and on course for promotion to League A.

The striker could have had a second. Eric Smith delivered a cross that left Gyokeres unmarked in front of goal, but the chance went begging as he misjudged the ball.

Smith's verdict on the miss

Smith, the 29-year-old St Pauli defender who rarely registers assists, offered a tongue-in-cheek explanation to Swedish media. "I think he did it on purpose, yes," he said.

"No, but I think he thought the goalkeeper would take the ball, I actually thought so too. He was probably a little surprised. Then it was probably a little too high too. But we'll all look at it together later and see what he thinks."

Smith still had plenty to be satisfied with. Sweden kept a clean sheet for the first time in 19 matches, having conceded in each of their previous 18 games.

"It's nice to keep a clean sheet and be able to win in different ways," he said. "It helps us as a group. Even though we didn't have our best day offensively, we managed to win and that's good."

Elbow to the face

Gyokeres was unbothered by the missed opportunity, instead pointing to Sweden's return from their four Nations League fixtures.

"It feels good, it's always nice to score a goal and get 10 points out of a possible 12," he told TV4. "I feel in good shape."

That assessment came despite the Arsenal forward being caught in the face by a stray elbow from a Romanian player during the contest. Rather than dwell on it, Gyokeres suggested the incident worked in his favour.

"Of course, it's frustrating for most people," he said. "But it also triggers you, so it can be good. I got extra energy."

Back to north London

For Arsenal supporters, the headline from the break is that their centre-forward is scoring, declaring himself in good shape and has come through a physical fixture without issue.

Gyokeres returns to club duty on Saturday with the Gunners looking to respond to the 3-0 defeat to Brighton that preceded the extended international break — a result that left Mikel Arteta's side needing an immediate reaction.

Having arrived in north London with a reputation built on relentless goalscoring numbers, the Swede's confidence appears intact despite the rare blemish against Romania. The details of the international break, as reported by football.london, point to a striker in rhythm rather than one searching for form.

Arsenal will hope that rhythm carries straight into the weekend.