Alexander Isak finished his international break on a high, helping his Sweden side to a thumping 5-1 win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening. The Newcastle United superstar helped himself to a sumptuous assist and a sublime goal as Jon Dahl Tomasson's men bounced back from a shock defeat over the weekend.
Isak danced his way through green shirts before cleverly teeing up Emil Holm in the first-half, before grabbing Sweden’s fourth of the night in the 64th-minute. Isak picked up possession outside the box, took two touches out of his feet and smashed a fine effort beyond goalkeeper Pierce Charles.
The St James' Park favourite is no stranger to superb goals but has also started to impress from close range of late, improving at scoring scrappy finishes as well as breathtaking efforts. However, Isak admits he is now open to changing his game to factor in more impressive attempts from range.
“I’ve had a few of those this season,” he told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen. “I feel like I need to do it more often – just hit it.
"I have a good finish and need to use it more. It’s great that it went in.”
Sweden were stunned by Luxembourg on Saturday, losing 1-0 to the 92nd-ranked side in FIFA's standings. However, Isak's men returned to form in a fine manner, with the Toon star happy to deliver a strong showing before returning to Tyneside for the club's Carabao Cup celebrations and Premier League run in.
"This is how we wanted to play on Saturday too. It was nice to be able to put in a performance like this," Isak continued.
"I think maybe we weren't quite ready for the challenge last Saturday and thought it would be easier than it was. Then it pays off, but today we were on our toes."
