▲ The moment Alexander Isak shoots to score the winning goal
Sweden, which narrowly qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, took the lead in the "Group of Death" by defeating African dark horse Tunisia with a fierce attack.
The Swedish national football team, led by manager Graham Potter, thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in their first Group F match of the group stage held at the Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on Monday (KST), thanks to the performances of English Premier League (EPL) stars Alexander Isak (Liverpool) and Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal).
Isak added two assists to his winning goal, while Gyökeres recorded one goal and one assist.
Yasin Ayari, who plays for EPL side Brighton & Hove Albion, also scored twice, including the opening goal, contributing significantly to Sweden's victory.
With this, Sweden took the top spot in the group stage, ahead of Japan and the Netherlands, who drew 2-2 in their match held earlier that day at Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA.
Group F is considered the "Group of Death" in this tournament.
Sweden will play its second match against the Netherlands at Houston Stadium in the U.S. on June 21, while Tunisia will face Japan at Monterrey Stadium on the same day.
This is Sweden's 13th World Cup finals appearance and its first in eight years since the 2018 tournament in Russia. Its best-ever finish was runner-up in the 1958 tournament, which Sweden hosted.
After suffering the humiliation of finishing bottom of their group in the European qualifiers for this tournament, Sweden entered the European playoffs thanks to their UEFA Nations League performance, where they narrowly secured their ticket to North America by defeating Ukraine and Poland in succession.
Tunisia, led by manager Sabri Lamouchi, reached the finals for the third consecutive time and the seventh time overall.
They have never advanced past the group stage.
Tunisia displayed a "tight defense" by keeping clean sheets in all 10 matches (9 wins, 1 draw) of the second round of African qualifiers for this tournament, scoring 22 goals, but they could not withstand Sweden's formidable firepower.
Sweden took the initiative in the 7th minute of the first half.
During a Swedish attack, the goalkeeper rushed out and failed to clear the ball properly. Gyökeres shot with his right foot toward the empty net, but a defender cleared it away.
Ayari then controlled the ball that came his way and fired a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty arc straight into the Tunisian net.
Born in 2003 to a Tunisian mother and a Moroccan father, midfielder Ayari chose to represent Sweden, where he was born and raised. In his World Cup debut, he dealt a painful blow to his mother's homeland.
Perhaps because of this, Ayari refrained from any excessive celebration.
Sweden extended their lead in the 30th minute of the first half.
During a Swedish counterattack, Isak received a pass from Gyökeres on the left side near the halfway line, drove forward alone, and slotted a right-footed shot into the corner of the net from the left side of the penalty arc.
Tunisia did not back down easily.
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Hannibal Mejbri delivered a cross from the right flank, and Omar Rekik slightly deflected it with his head from the right side of the goal to find the back of the Swedish net.
It was Tunisia's only shot on target in the first half.
Sweden, who finished the first half with a 2-1 lead, capitalized on a critical mistake by their opponents to pull away again in the 14th minute of the second half.
When Ellyes Skhiri hesitated after receiving the ball from the goalkeeper, Isak quickly rushed in to dispossess him. Winning the physical battle, Isak slipped the ball to the right side of the penalty area, where Gyökeres rushed in to finish with a clean right-footed shot.
Sweden did not slow down their offensive, bringing on Lucas Bergvall along with Eliot Stroud in the 20th minute of the second half when defender Gabriel Gudmundsson was substituted due to an injury.
Sweden sealed the victory in the 39th minute of the second half when Mattias Svanberg scored an insurance goal immediately after coming on as a substitute for Jesper Karlström.
Svanberg found the net with a right-footed shot from directly in front of the goal during a free kick from the right. Although it was initially ruled offside, the referee allowed the goal after communicating with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
At the time of the free kick, Svanberg was in an offside position.
However, before the ball reached Svanberg, it grazed Isak's right foot, at which point Svanberg was in an onside position.
Isak was credited with another assist.
In the 51st minute of the second half during stoppage time, Ayari capped off the massive victory with a mid-range, right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc, scoring both the first and last goals of the match.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.