Isak Leads Sweden to Dominant 5-1 Victory Over Tunisia

Alexander Isak arrived at this tournament with questions still clinging to him from a bruising first season at Liverpool. Ninety minutes later, he walked off as the conductor of a 5-1 demolition, the player who bent this game – and perhaps Sweden’s group – entirely to his will.

This was supposed to be a test of Tunisia’s defensive steel. Instead, it became a showcase for Sweden’s attacking edge and Isak’s authority on the biggest stage.

Ayari strikes early against his roots

The tone was set almost immediately.

Seven minutes in, chaos in the Tunisian box. Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both saw efforts blocked in a scrambled sequence that had defenders throwing themselves at everything. The ball broke to Yasin Ayari on the edge of the area.

The Brighton midfielder, with Tunisian heritage of his own, showed no hesitation and even less sentiment. One touch to set, then a fierce, rising drive that ripped into the net. Sweden were in front, Tunisia stunned, and the game’s pattern already taking shape.

Tunisia’s reputation shredded

Tunisia had arrived with numbers on their side: a proud defensive record from qualifying, an organised back line, a reputation for discipline. Within half an hour, that image lay in pieces.

The second Swedish goal was pure, ruthless transition. Tunisia pushed up, lost it, and suddenly yellow shirts were streaming forward. Isak was released down the left, isolated against a retreating defence.

He slowed them down, then cut inside with a glide that left his marker grasping at air. One more stride, a measured curl into the far corner. Clinical. Inevitable. A Liverpool forward who had endured a difficult debut club season now looked utterly at ease, dictating the tempo of an international opener.

Tunisia, rattled and ragged, were clinging on.

Rekik offers brief hope

Just when the contest threatened to run away from them before the break, Tunisia found a foothold.

A rare lapse in the Swedish back line gave Hannibal Mejbri room to deliver from wide. His cross was inviting, and Omar Rekik attacked it with conviction, rising highest to steer his header past the goalkeeper.

The goal came just before the interval and changed the mood. Tunisia jogged towards the tunnel with something to cling to, a 2-1 scoreline that suggested a possible twist. Sweden, for all their dominance, had been reminded that one moment of slackness could drag them back into a fight.

For a few minutes, the game felt alive again.

Isak pounces, Gyokeres punishes

Any idea of a Tunisian revival evaporated just before the hour.

Sweden cranked up their press, pushed their line higher, and hunted in packs. Isak led it. He chased down captain Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of the Tunisian area, forcing a panicked mistake. Skhiri’s touch deserted him, the ball spilling loose in a disastrous position.

It fell perfectly to Arsenal forward Gyokeres. One glance, one calm adjustment, then a composed, clinical finish to stretch the lead to 3-1. The strike did more than alter the score; it drained Tunisia’s belief.

From that moment, Sweden played like a side that knew they were better – and wanted to show it.

Svanberg and VAR add the gloss

With the tension gone, Sweden began to enjoy themselves. The passing grew sharper, the movement more expressive. Isak, already at the heart of everything, still had more to give.

Mattias Svanberg arrived from the bench and needed only seconds to leave his mark. A clever flick from Isak inside the box wrong-footed the defence and sent Svanberg through. He reacted quickest, turning the ball home to make it four.

The assistant’s flag went up, but the celebrations merely paused. VAR replays showed that Isak’s touch had in fact played Svanberg onside. The goal stood, the scoreline swelled, and Tunisia’s resistance was officially over.

There was still time for one final blow. Deep into stoppage time, Tunisia failed to clear their lines, and Ayari, alert and hungry, pounced on a loose ball to grab his second of the night. A midfielder with a foot in both nations had finished with a brace, and Sweden had a 5-1 statement win.

Group F takes shape

By the final whistle, Sweden sat comfortably on top of Group F, three points clear after the Netherlands and Japan cancelled each other out in their opener. Goal difference, confidence, momentum – Graham Potter’s side claimed all of it in one devastating evening.

For Tunisia, the equation is stark. An uphill battle now awaits if they are to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Next, Sweden face the Netherlands on June 20 in what already feels like a meeting that could decide first place. The Dutch, having dropped two points, cannot afford another misstep.

Tunisia, meanwhile, must regroup quickly and find a response against Japan on the same day. After a night when their defensive reputation was ripped apart, how they answer that question may define their entire tournament.