Gyökeres’s Sweden make statement with emphatic 5-1 victory over Tunisia

Sweden marked their return to the FIFA World Cup in style with a commanding 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their Group F opener at Monterrey Stadium on Monday, producing one of the most impressive performances of the tournament so far.

The Scandinavian side, appearing at their 13th World Cup and their first since 2018 after missing out on Qatar 2022, showcased their attacking quality as they overwhelmed Tunisia with five goals from four different scorers.

Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari set the tone early, firing Sweden ahead after just seven minutes with a spectacular long-range strike.

Born in Sweden to a Tunisian mother, Ayari chose not to celebrate against his ancestral nation, but his teammates quickly surrounded him after the stunning opener.

Sweden doubled their advantage in the 30th minute through Alexander Isak.

The striker finished off a flowing counterattack after excellent hold-up play from Viktor Gyökeres, giving Graham Potter's side a deserved 2-0 lead.

Tunisia, however, refused to surrender.

Omar Rekik pulled one back two minutes before halftime when he headed home a precise cross from Hannibal Mejbri, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and giving the North Africans hope heading into the break.

Any thoughts of a Tunisia comeback were effectively ended in the second half. In the 59th minute, Tunisia captain Ellyes Skhiri lost possession dangerously close to his own penalty area, allowing Isak to set up Gyökeres, who thundered home Sweden's third goal.

Substitute Mattias Svanberg then made an immediate impact in the 84th minute.

Just 18 seconds after coming off the bench, he volleyed home Sweden’s fourth goal, recording one of the fastest goals ever scored by a substitute in World Cup history.

Ayari completed his memorable evening deep into stoppage time, striking from distance once again to seal a dominant 5-1 victory and his first international brace at a World Cup.

The result continued Sweden's strong tradition at football’s biggest tournament. Before this match, the Swedes had progressed from the group stage in each of their previous four World Cup appearances and famously reached the semi-finals of the 1994 tournament in the United States.

Their most recent World Cup appearance in 2018 ended in the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by England.

For Tunisia, the defeat was a disappointing start to their third consecutive World Cup campaign.

The Eagles of Carthage narrowly missed reaching the knockout rounds in 2022 despite defeating France and arrived in North America hoping to qualify for the last 16 for the first time in their history.

Historically, Sweden had enjoyed the upper hand in meetings between the two nations.

Prior to this encounter, the teams had met four times, with Sweden winning three matches and drawing one.

Those previous meetings produced only five goals, making Monday’s six-goal thriller by far the highest-scoring contest between them.

Sweden now turn their attention to a crucial clash against the Netherlands on June 20 in Houston, while Tunisia will look to bounce back when they face Japan as they seek to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

Photos