Kosovo Stun Sweden As Switzerland Maintains Perfect Record In World Cup Qualifying

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Alexander Isak's debut this season was overshadowed by Sweden's unexpected 2-0 loss to Kosovo in World Cup qualifying. Despite his recent £125 million transfer to Liverpool, Isak was benched during Sweden's 2-2 draw with Slovenia. He finally played against Kosovo, replacing Anthony Elanga for the last 18 minutes, but couldn't prevent the defeat.

Sweden now sits third in Group B, trailing Switzerland by five points. Switzerland secured a 3-0 victory over Slovenia on the same day. Nico Elvedi scored first, followed by Breel Embolo's header and Dan Ndoye's goal. Meanwhile, Croatia and Denmark also celebrated wins in their respective matches.

Kosovo took the lead in the 26th minute when Elvis Rexhbecaj scored past Robin Olsen. Vedat Muriqi added another goal just before halftime. Despite Lindon Emerllahu's late red card for Kosovo, Sweden couldn't capitalize on the advantage.

Croatia maintained their perfect start by defeating Montenegro 4-0 at Stadion Maksimir. Kristijan Jakic opened with a long-range goal, followed by Andrej Kramaric and an Edvin Kuc own-goal. Ivan Perisic completed the scoring after Andrija Bulatovic was sent off.

Denmark triumphed over Greece with a 3-0 win. Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg assisted goals for Mikkel Damsgaard and Andreas Christensen. Rasmus Hojlund scored in the 81st minute to keep Denmark atop Group C.

Challenges Ahead for Sweden

Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson faced criticism for benching Isak initially. Even after Isak joined the game, Sweden struggled against Kosovo. The team managed only a low expected goals (xG) of 0.71 from their shots compared to Kosovo's xG of 2.16.

This defeat marks Sweden's third consecutive winless match in World Cup qualifying. Their previous longest winless streak spanned from October 2008 to June 2009, raising concerns about missing consecutive World Cups.