The blow the Norwegians dealt in Oslo hurt. Several Swedish players were also brutally honest afterwards. The performance in the 1–3 loss at Ullevål did not hold up.
The match was long overdue when national team captain Graham Potter sent his star striker in. Isak was to be managed carefully after his recent groin injury, all in order to be ready for - ideally - 90 minutes in the World Cup opener against Tunisia in Monterrey on June 15.
"It felt good to come in and get a few more minutes in my legs. There were some good actions," he says.
“Be the smartest”
Craving a game?
Yes, but that was me. I've not played much lately. Of course it was fun to play.
Could you have played more?
I don't know. It's very possible, but considering that a match is coming up so soon (Greece at the national arena in Solna on Thursday), it was probably the smartest thing to do.
Isak suffered on the bench while Norway ran over his teammates on the field during the first half.
There wasn't much that went right. I think it became a little easier for those of us on the bench. We saw what went wrong and what we had to adjust.
Isak came on after an hour of play - for the first time in the national team since last November. Team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf was also substituted at the same time.
"It wasn't perfect when we came in, but it got better and we managed to create more chances. It shows that it's possible to adjust and improve," he says.
Shouldn't be worried.
What do you think it means for your self-confidence to go on a ride like this?
Hopefully not too much. We will definitely change things and do better. I think Thursday's game will be important in terms of results and performance. We want to leave with a win.
What do you say to all Swedish football fans? Should they be worried?
"No, I don't think they should be. It didn't go so well today, but we have one more match. We'll do our best to win on Thursday and leave with a good feeling," says Isak.
