In a commanding start to their World Cup Group F journey, Sweden overwhelmed Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday in Monterrey, Mexico. This offensive display marked Sweden’s most prolific World Cup scoring since their 8-0 triumph over Cuba in 1938.
Yasin Ayari emerged as the standout player, delivering two exceptional goals against the country of his father’s origin. He opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Tunisia’s goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh mishandled a clearance under pressure from Alexander Isak. Following a blocked shot by Viktor Gyokeres, Ayari seized the rebound and fired a powerful shot into the net, igniting celebrations among Swedish supporters. Despite the significance, Ayari kept his celebration subdued out of respect.
Tunisia, initially adopting a defensive counter-attacking strategy, found themselves forced to chase the game. This approach backfired dramatically in the 30th minute when Sweden executed a swift counter-attack. Gyokeres controlled the ball expertly and passed to Isak on the left flank, who then outmaneuvered defender Montassar Talbi before slotting the ball past Chamakh to double Sweden’s lead.
Despite the setback, Tunisia showed resilience just before halftime. Defender Omar Rekik scored with a precise glancing header on their first shot on target, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and providing hope heading into the break.
The second half started slowly, with Isak and Gyokeres struggling to connect initially. However, their quality soon shone through. At the 60-minute mark, Isak dispossessed Ellyes Skhiri and assisted Gyokeres, who scored easily to extend the lead to 3-1.
The floodgates opened thereafter. Substitute Mattias Svanberg made an immediate impact in the 84th minute by scoring a goal initially ruled offside but later confirmed by VAR. Deep into stoppage time, Ayari sealed his remarkable performance with a spectacular long-range strike, celebrating this time with unrestrained joy as the ball sailed past Chamakh.
This emphatic victory places Sweden at the top of Group F with three points, benefiting from a 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands earlier in the day.
Sweden’s manager Graham Potter praised his team’s composure and the partnership between his forwards. He noted, “It’s football, so anything can happen, especially at 2-1, but the boys played with stability and calmness throughout. When you concede, there’s always a risk of losing focus, but they managed well. We believed that staying solid and compact would allow our two forwards to cause damage.”
Potter also highlighted the growing chemistry between Isak and Gyokeres, acknowledging their limited time playing together but expressing confidence it will improve. “They worked hard for each other and both were fantastic,” he added.
For Tunisia, who had not conceded a goal during their entire qualifying campaign, the heavy defeat was a harsh wake-up call. Their coach Sabri Lamouchi expressed his disappointment, saying, “It’s a difficult loss and painful to start the competition this way. We made too many mistakes, which we simply cannot afford. We are hurting ourselves.”
