Alexander Isak continued his excellent form from the Premier League to the international arena with a convincing 5-1 victory for Sweden over a young and inexperienced Northern Ireland in a friendly match.
Newcastle player Isak assisted in one goal and scored another as Northern Ireland's unbeaten streak of five matches came to an abrupt end.
Despite having opportunities at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Michael O'Neill's team failed to capitalize until Isaac Price managed to score a late consolation goal, while the Swedish team displayed efficiency in front of the goal.
Leading up to the game, Northern Ireland had recently drawn 1-1 against Switzerland but had to deal with the absence of Trai Hume and Ethan Galbraith. They were replaced by Terry Devlin from Portsmouth and Jamie Donley from Leyton Orient, both making their full debuts.
On the other hand, Sweden was eager to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Luxembourg, and they quickly took the lead just seven minutes into the match.
Isak, with an impressive 23 goals for his club this season, played a pivotal role in creating the opening goal, showcasing his skills by setting up Emil Holm to score from close range.
Despite a promising start from O'Neill's side, it was Isak who continued to threaten the Northern Ireland defense. The Swedish striker almost extended the lead with a rising shot that narrowly missed the target.
As the game progressed, Sweden showed clinical finishing with Benjamin Nygren adding a second goal after a mistake from the Northern Ireland goalkeeper Charles.
Even with Northern Ireland putting up a fight, Sweden's dominance was evident as they added a third goal through Ken Sema, followed by Isak scoring a sublime goal from the edge of the box.
As the match neared its end, Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga scored a fifth goal for Sweden, while Price managed to pull one back for Northern Ireland with a late consolation goal.
Although there were some positives for Northern Ireland, O'Neill's team will need to work on their finishing ahead of upcoming friendlies and World Cup qualifiers in the coming months.