Sweden 5–1 Tunisia: Yasin Ayari's long-range brace caps a five-goal rout
Sweden opened their Group F campaign with a commanding 5–1 win over Tunisia at the Estadio BBVA in Nuevo León. Yasin Ayari set the tone with a fantastic strike from distance just seven minutes in, before Alexander Isak finished off a flowing counter-attack on the half-hour to double the lead. Omar Rekik's header two minutes before the break briefly gave Tunisia hope at 2–1.
Any doubt evaporated after the interval. Viktor Gyökeres swept in Sweden's third in the 59th minute, set up by Isak, to restore the two-goal cushion. Substitute Mattias Svanberg then made an instant impact, scoring just 18 seconds after coming on — the second-fastest goal by a substitute at a World Cup — with the strike confirmed onside by VAR after an initial offside flag.
Ayari completed his brace deep into stoppage time, finishing in the sixth minute of added time after Lucas Bergvall won back possession. The victory, in which Isak provided two assists, sent Graham Potter's Sweden to the top of Group F, though the manager felt his side 'could've scored more.'
Key moments
- •Yasin Ayari scored twice, both stunning long-range efforts, including a 7th-minute opener and a strike in the 96th minute
- •Alexander Isak scored once and assisted two goals as Sweden's forwards dominated
- •Substitute Mattias Svanberg scored just 18 seconds after coming on, the second-fastest goal by a substitute at a World Cup
- •Omar Rekik's 43rd-minute header was Tunisia's only reply
- •The result sent Sweden to the top of Group F
Timeline
Match facts
- Estadio BBVA, Nuevo León
- 50,987 attendance
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- Referee: Yael Falcón (Argentina)
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.