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Slovenian press hail Sesko after stunning late assist rescues draw against Sweden

Originally posted on HITC | By Vatsal Gupta | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 8:51 AM ET

Benjamin Sesko is one of the few players at Manchester United who will benefit from the international break and minutes in a familiar team and system.

With only one start in four matches for Manchester United, Benjamin Sesko was given a more prominent role with their national team, starting for Slovenia in their World Cup qualifier against Sweden.

The pre-match build-up focused on his battle with Alexander Isak, but the £125 million forward never left the bench. In contrast, Sesko played a key part in how the match unfolded.

The Slovenian media couldn’t get enough of him either, highlighting an eye-catching moment of skill they even described as ‘martial arts’.

Benjamin Sesko’s performance against Sweden

Sesko has always been a key figure for Slovenia, and his move to Old Trafford will only add to that reputation.

He knew that playing in the Premier League would bring more attention than the Bundesliga ever did, and this was his first appearance for Slovenia with the global spotlight fully on him.

Sweden is also a much stronger team on paper, so he had his work cut out for him, which reflected in the raw stats for the game.

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He finished with 32 touches, which was the fewest among players who played the full 90 minutes. He took just one shot and completed 15 of 19 passes – not eye-catching numbers, but they don’t tell the full story.

As is often the case with top players, it was a quiet display until it wasn’t. Sesko provided a late assist for Vipotnik to salvage a 2-2 draw, stepping up when Slovenia needed him most.

Slovenian media left stunned by Sesko’s incredible assist

A hopeful long ball was played in his direction, bouncing awkwardly as he found himself surrounded by three Swedish defenders.

With Slovenia trailing 2-1 at the time, there was little room for error. He managed to juggle the ball in the air, flicked it with his knee onto his head, and picked out Vipotnik beyond the Swedish backline with a well-timed header.

It was a piece of improvisation that few strikers could pull off. Ekipa described it as ‘martial arts’ combined with pure skill. Goalscorer Vipotnik also acknowledged Sesko’s role, saying: “He did a great job; it was not easy with the tall and strong Swedish defenders.”

Zurnal24 praised how he turned an aimless ball into something dangerous, while Vecer detailed every part of the build-up: “After a long pass from Vanja Drkusic… tamed the ball, first with his knee, then with his head, to Zan Vipotnik…”

Sesko will be back on international duty against Switzerland on 8 September when World Cup qualifiers resume.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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