Journalist expresses shock at Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall’s open goal miss vs Switzerland in a World Cup Qualifier
Several Tottenham Hotspur players have teamed up with their respective nations for October’s international break.
Spurs entered the break on the back of a 2-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road. Thomas Frank’s side had drawn three games in all competitions before that fixture, so the victory in west Yorkshire was very much needed and it put them right back on track. Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus opened their accounts for the campaign, as Tottenham overcame a tricky challenge against Leeds United.
Lucas Bergvall, who was an unused substitute against Leeds United, has been one of several players to leave N17 for international duty. The teenager has been a key player for Thomas Frank at Spurs, making 10 appearances this season thus far. So, he has gone to the Sweden national team camp with a lot of confidence.
Lucas Bergvall produces open goal howler for Sweden
Seen as one of Sweden’s big rising talents, Lucas Bergvall is yet to fully convince manager Jon Dahl Tomasson of a regular spot even though he has praised the midfielder recently.
The teenager has gone to the Sweden camp vying for minutes, after he was not named in the squad in March and then missed the June games with his ankle damage. While Bergvall was called up for the World Cup qualifiers last month, he was an unused substitute on both occasions as Sweden drew 2-2 in Slovenia and then lost 2-0 away against Kosovo.
Sweden’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup was dented on Friday night following the 2-0 loss to Switzerland. Goals from Granit Xhaka and substitute Johan Manzambi would seal the deal for Switzerland, but Sweden should have taken the lead via Bergvall.
With the score still at 0-0 just before the interval, Viktor Gyokeres set up Alexander Isak for a one-on-one at the half-way line, with the Liverpool forward driving the ball towards goal after evading Manuel Akanji. With two defenders chasing him, Isak expertly passed the ball to an unmarked Bergvall, who had the simple task of tapping it into an open goal. However, the ball got stuck under the Tottenham starlet’s feet, causing him to trip and leave the ball behind before a Swiss defender cleared the danger.
Sportbladet journalist Erik Niva was in disbelief watching the moment live, and said (h/t Viaplay):
“I can’t think of any comparable miss in this arena. That’s a goal; he’s just going to score it into an empty [net].
“It’s an unimaginable miss. He scores 100 out of 100 goals, but this was the 101st.”
Embarrassing moment for Bergvall
Bergvall, too, was left in disbelief after the miss, and so was the Sweden boss Tomasson and the Friends Arena faithful. It was a terrible miss, one that would have put Sweden up front at half time and potentially given them the confidence after the break to go and beat Switzerland. Instead, it turned out to be a frustrating evening for Tomasson’s side, who are now at peril of losing a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
With the Kosovo coming up on Monday, Bergvall and his teammates do not have much time to lick their wounds. The Tottenham midfielder, in particular, has to be mentally strong to bounce back from his howler against the Swiss. His confidence must have been shot but how the teenage prodigy picks himself up and responds against Kosovo will tell a lot about Bergvall’s character.
