Sweden 5-1 Tunisia: Gyökeres and Isak link up in Blågult victory | OneFootball

Sweden moved to the top of Group F at the 2026 FIFA World Cup by claiming a 5-1 win against Tunisia in Monterrey.

Yasin Ayari and Alexander Isak put the Blågult – led by former Brighton boss Graham Potter – into a seemingly comfortable lead within the opening 30 minutes, but Tunisia were able to clinch a goal back and bring the dynamic of the game into question just before the break thanks to Omar Rekik.

Having been teed up by Viktor Gyökeres in the first half, Isak returned the favour and selflessly played the Arsenal frontman through on goal with an hour played in Mexico.

And there was late VAR drama as Mattias Svanberg saw his goal disallowed by VAR for offside, before an in-depth review overturned the decision after spotting a slight touch from Isak had kept the 27-year-old onside.

Deep inside stoppage time, Ayari added his second – and Sweden’s fifth – to bolster the Blågult’s goal difference, which could prove decisive given the competitive nature of Group F.

Sweden take on the Netherlands on Saturday 20 June, while Japan await Tunisia next time out.

As it happened

Following an enthralling 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan in Group F on Sunday, the opportunity to take pole position – for the time being, at least – was up for grabs in Monterrey.

Sweden, ranked 38th in the world and arriving at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in poor form after failing to win either of their pre-tournament friendlies, looked to take an early lead through Arsenal frontman Viktor Gyökeres, though he blazed over the crossbar from the edge of the box with five minutes on the clock.

But it proved not to be too costly of a miss for the Blågult, who found themselves in the lead just two minutes later. Victor Lindelöf’s long ball over the top found Alexander Isak, and while his strike – and Gyökeres’ subsequent attempt – were dealt with by the Tunisian defence, Yasin Ayari thundered home the opener.

The 22-year-old’s celebrations were noticeably muted, given that his father is Tunisian and he was eligible to play for the African side.

Tunisia sought out an almost instantaneous response to going behind as Elias Saad drove forward from the centre circle before laying the ball off for Anis Ben Slimane, who saw his shot blocked by the goalkeeper.

But the Scandinavians were instead able to double their lead with half an hour played in Mexico thanks to a well-worked counterattack which saw Gyökeres play Isak into space, allowing the Liverpool man to embark on a mazy run towards goal, cut inside the drill a fierce effort into the far corner.

Abdelmouhib Chamakh – making just his fourth appearance for the senior national team – managed to get a hand to it, but it wasn’t enough to deny Sweden’s second goal of the night and will certainly spark further questions as to why veteran shotstopper Aymen Dahman was left on the bench.

It wasn’t to be all doom and gloom for the Eagles of Carthage though. Against the run of play, Sabri Lamouchi’s men halved the deficit when a Hannibal Mejbri delivery was tucked past the goalkeeper at the near post from around six yards out by Omar Rekik.

And Tunisia could have further stunned Sweden mere moments into the second half with Mejbri at the centre of yet another promising move, although Kristoffer Nordfeldt was equal to his effort, having been played through on goal by Yan Valery.

But their dreams of a dramatic equaliser were brutally dashed on the hour mark when Chamakh opted to roll the ball out to captain Ellyes Skhiri. The midfielder, who plays his club football for Eintracht Frankfurt, was quickly caught in possession by Isak, who selflessly squared for Gyökeres to tap home.

Gyökeres, who tasted Premier League success this season with Arsenal, wasn’t far off scoring again in the 68th minute. Lucas Bergvall’s cross wasn’t converted though, with the Gunners’ frontman just unable to stretch far enough to poke past Chamakh despite being unmarked at the back post.

Sweden’s fourth goal came in rather bizarre circumstances as substitute Mattias Svanberg turned home from a free-kick but appeared to be flagged offside, with VAR confirming that he had strayed offside as the ball was swung in. An in-depth review, however, found that a slight touch from Isak had played the 27-year-old onside, sparking a second round of celebrations from the VfL Wolfsburg man.

With his goal arriving just 12 seconds after coming off the bench, the midfielder now holds the record for the fastest FIFA World Cup goal by a substitute.

But it wouldn’t be the last goal of the night, as Ayari completed his brace inside stoppage time with a brilliant strike – and this time, he wheeled away in celebration.