Sweden Rout Tunisia 5-1 Behind Ayari Brace

Sweden produced a dominant 5-1 win over Tunisia on Monday in Group F of the World Cup, after scraping into the tournament through a poor qualifying campaign. It was Sweden’s first five-goal performance in a World Cup match since a 8-0 win over Cuba in 1938. Yasin Ayari led the way with two excellent goals, while Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres also scored.

Ayari opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a powerful strike. The midfielder, whose father is Tunisian and whose mother is Moroccan, celebrated modestly by praying on the grass as Swedish fans in the stands erupted. In Sweden, it was reported that Ayari had initially considered playing for Tunisia, but his father pushed him toward Sweden because, as he put it, the country “welcomed him with open arms and helped him develop.”

Isak and Gyokeres then added goals and set up one another, offering encouraging signs of growing chemistry. Sweden moved to the top of Group F with three points, ahead of Japan and the Netherlands, who had earlier drawn 2-2.

Sweden coach Graham Potter praised the team’s composure. “I thought the boys played with stability and calm throughout the game,” he said, adding that they handled Tunisia’s pressure well and kept their shape. He also lauded the two strikers: “They have not played that much together, so it will get better as they play more. I thought they worked well for each other and worked hard. It is nice for them to score goals, it convinces them they are on the right path, but I thought both were fantastic.”