The Swedish U21 national team is in danger of missing the European Championship. At the center of it all: a Bayern loanee and a former jewel of the Munich club.
Bayern jewel Jonah Kusi-Asare suffered two heavy defeats within five days with the Swedish U21 national team.
After the Swedish youth team lost 4-0 to Italy in the European Championship qualifiers on Friday, they suffered a 6-0 thrashing against Poland on Tuesday evening at the Stadsparksvallen in their home city of Jönköping.
Jonah Kusi-Asare during the 0-6 defeat against Poland’s U21
European Championship Qualification: Bayern Jewel Disappoints
Bayern’s Kusi-Asare, who is on loan to FC Fulham until summer 2026, was brought on by coach Daniel Backstrom for the final half hour against Italy. Against Poland, the 18-year-old striker started the match and was substituted off in the final phase after a poor performance (81st minute).
Like the rest of his team, the striking talent failed to make any direct goal contributions in either match.
Matteo Perez Vinlöf, a former Bayern talent (who moved to Dinamo Zagreb for two million euros in the summer), played the full duration in both defeats but was equally unimpressive as Kusi-Asare.
“Humiliation” for Sweden’s U21
“We delivered a weak performance and achieved a poor result. Of course, we are disappointed,” said national coach Daniel Bäckström to SVT Sport . The media outlet itself described it as a “humiliation.”
The devastating record of Sweden’s U21 after four out of ten matchdays in the European Championship qualifiers: fifth place in Group E with just one win from four matches (3-0 against Armenia). Additionally, they have a sobering goal difference of -9. The gap to direct qualification and the playoff spot now stands at nine points.
An Entire Country in Crisis
Accordingly, the Swedish press heavily criticized the youth team. “Heavy blows for the U21 in the qualifiers,” headlined the newspaper Sportbladet , also referencing the senior national team, which hasn’t been performing much better recently.
After the sobering 1-0 loss to Kosovo, World Cup qualification for Sweden’s senior team, featuring top strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, seems increasingly distant. The newspaper Aftonbladet delivered a clear verdict: “This is a total disgrace, perhaps the worst thing Swedish football has ever experienced.”