Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Fri 27 March 2026 8:30, UK

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Benjamin Nygren thrived away from Celtic on Thursday as Sweden beat Ukraine to set up the World Cup play-off final.

The Scandinavians won 3-1 in Spain, with Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres bagging all three goals to book Tuesday’s final against Poland.

The two nations will face off in Stockholm for a place in World Cup group F, after Poland narrowly saw off Albania on Thursday.

Despite the extensive amount of change that has taken place at Parkhead this season, Nygren has managed to enjoy a superb individual campaign.

Celtic’s form has largely been down to his consistent ability to find the net, although the 24-year-old was unable to impact the game as the Hoops were beaten at Dundee United last week.

Benjamin Nygren impresses vs Ukraine

Football Insider exclusively revealed this month that Celtic will not allow Nygren to leave the club this summer, despite mounting interest in the winger.

The 24-year-old, who arrived last summer in a deal worth just £1.7million from Nordsjaelland and has scored 19 goals this season, was the subject of a huge £25m bid from Nottingham Forest in January.

The Hoops rejected the offer and have insisted that their intention is to keep Nygren at the club, with Thursday’s display showing exactly why.

The winger was involved from the opening minutes, finding space in the Ukraine box and receiving the pass, before firing the ball across the goal to set Gyokeres up for an easy finish.

The Swede was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch and a calm presence on the ball, misplacing just one of his 21 passes.

And as the game grew on, Nygren kept to his defensive task, making a clearance and recovering the ball to keep his nation in control.

Should Sweden make it to the World Cup, the Celtic star will be key to their efforts.

What the Swedish media said about Nygren

Swedish website fotbollskanalen was pleased with Nygren’s efforts, rating him three out of five for his performance.

“The forward was responsible for a nice involvement and assist for the 1-0 goal,” they wrote on Thursday. “After that, it was a lot of defensive work for the team’s good, which he did well.”

Celtic will hope that a positive result on Tuesday will see their star man return full of confidence ahead of the final months of the season.

Last week’s results have left the Hoops with a lot to do in the Scottish Premiership, and the Swede will be key to any chance Martin O’Neill’s side have.