Sweden easily defeated Tunisia 5-1 to begin their World Cup campaign in Group F, thanks to strong performances from Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres.
Yasin Ayari of Brighton scored the game’s best goals with two spectacular long-range goals in the sixth and 96th minutes, but Sweden’s elite attackers’ performances gave them complete control of the match.
Isak doubled Sweden’s advantage in the 40th minute shortly after Ayari’s goal, with his celebrations subdued out of reverence for his father’s hometown and a nation he could have represented.
The Liverpool striker surged forward, cut in on his right foot, and tucked the ball into the bottom-right corner after Gyokeres passed the ball to him close to the halfway line.
Just before halftime, Omar Rekin’s looping header cut the deficit for Tunisia in half, raising expectations of a comeback (43). However, Gyokeres’ excellent finish swiftly restored the two-goal lead (59) as Isak turned provider this time.
As time ran out, substitute Mattias Svanberg scored a fourth goal for Sweden 18 seconds after entering the game (84). After a protracted VAR review, it was determined that Isak’s minor touch had put the midfielder back onside, despite the initial offside flag.
The outstanding performance for Graham Potter’s team was completed by a second stunning effort by Ayari, which was too brilliant to silence his jubilation.
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