Sweden delivered a commanding 5–1 victory over Tunisia on Sunday, a result that underlined their attacking strength and exposed rare cracks in a side once praised for defensive discipline.
At the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, the match began with urgency from Sweden and quickly slipped away from Tunisia. Yasin Ayari set the tone in the seventh minute, striking from distance after a defensive lapse left him space outside the box. The Brighton midfielder, who has Tunisian heritage, offered only a subdued celebration.
Sweden doubled their lead on the half-hour mark through Alexander Isak. The forward drove into space on the left, cut inside, and finished sharply after the Tunisian goalkeeper failed to keep the effort out despite getting a hand to it.
For much of the first half, Tunisia struggled to contain Sweden’s pace in transition. Yet just before the break, they found a response. Omar Rekik rose to meet a cross from Hannibal Mejbri, heading home to narrow the deficit and briefly shift the mood.
That momentum did not last.
Sweden restored control shortly after the restart when Ellyes Skhiri was dispossessed on the edge of his own area. Isak pounced and set up Viktor Gyökeres, who finished confidently to make it 3–1.
Tunisia, who had gone through qualifying without conceding a single goal, looked increasingly unsettled as Sweden continued to press. Substitute Mattias Svanberg added a fourth after a VAR check confirmed he was onside.
Ayari then capped the performance with a second long-range strike late on, sealing a scoreline that reflected Sweden’s dominance more than any single moment.
Sweden, coached by Graham Potter, now take early control of Group F. The result also serves as a reminder of their resurgence after missing the last World Cup, following a quarter-final run in 2018.
Tunisia, meanwhile, remain a side with a proud history but growing questions at this level. They were the first African nation to win a World Cup match, in 1978, yet have never advanced beyond the group stage.
Elsewhere in the group, Japan and the Netherlands shared a 2–2 draw, leaving Group F finely poised after the opening round of fixtures.
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