LJUBLJANA, Sweden (AP) — Sweden left Alexander Isak on the bench for a World Cup qualifying game in Slovenia on Friday, days after the star forward ended his holdout at Newcastle to join Liverpool for an English record transfer fee.
Isak, who cost Liverpool a reported 125 million pounds ($170 million), has not played a competitive game since May 25 in Newcastle’s season-ending 1-0 loss at home to Everton. He last played for Sweden in March and scored in a 5-1 win over Northern Ireland in a friendly.
Sweden coach Jon Dahl Tomasson opted not to start the 25-year-old forward against Slovenia in Ljubljana, where the teams open a World Cup qualifying group.
Sweden’s attack did include Viktor Gyökeres and Anthony Elanga, who also made expensive moves this offseason to English teams who will play in the Champions League, respectively, Arsenal and Newcastle.
Isak has 16 goals in 52 games for Sweden since making his debut at age 17. He did not go to the 2018 World Cup when Sweden last qualified and advanced to the quarterfinals in Russia.
How to qualify
Sweden and Slovenia, who on Friday selected Manchester United’s near-$100 million new signing Benjamin Šeško, are in one of the toughest of the 12 European qualifying groups. Top-seeded Switzerland was hosting Kosovo on Friday.
Only the group winner in November advances to the first 48-team finals tournament next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The group runner-up goes to the European playoffs in March in an unusually complex qualifying format. Sweden has a second option to enter the 16-team playoffs because it won a Nations League group last year.
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The Associated Press
