Isak Stars as Sweden Crush Tunisia 5-1 in Group F Opener

Alexander Isak arrived at this tournament with questions still hanging over him after a bruising first season at Liverpool. Ninety minutes later, he walked off as the undisputed star of a statement win that blew Group F wide open and ripped Tunisia’s defensive reputation to shreds.

This was domination with a flourish. A brilliant solo goal, relentless pressing, subtle touches in tight spaces – Isak stitched Sweden’s attacking play together and left Tunisia chasing shadows in a 5-1 hammering.

Ayari strikes early against his roots

The tone was set almost immediately.

Seven minutes in, Tunisia’s much-praised back line was already in pieces. A chaotic sequence in the box saw Mouhib Chamakh twice deny Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, bodies flying and clearances half-made. The ball squirmed out to Yasin Ayari on the edge of the area.

The Brighton midfielder, who has Tunisian heritage, showed no trace of sentiment. One touch to set himself, then he lashed a rising drive through the crowd and into the net. No celebration muted, no glances of apology. Just a ruthless finish and Sweden in front.

Tunisia, who had arrived boasting a miserly defensive record from qualifying, suddenly looked fragile. Sweden smelled it.

Isak explodes on the counter

The pressure built, the gaps widened, and on the half-hour mark, Sweden struck again with devastating simplicity.

A loose Tunisian attack broke down and within seconds the ball was fed into space down the left. Isak was off. Long strides, head up, defenders backpedalling. He cut inside with ease, leaving his marker off balance and the covering defender stranded.

Then came the finish that will be replayed for days. A measured, curling strike bent into the far corner, beyond the goalkeeper’s reach. Clinical, composed, and delivered with the air of a forward who knows exactly how good he can be.

Tunisia’s vaunted defensive record? Gone in half an hour.

Rekik offers a flicker of hope

Just when Sweden looked ready to run away with it before the interval, Tunisia found a lifeline.

Hannibal Mejbri, one of the few Tunisian players willing to take risks on the ball, finally found space wide and delivered a teasing cross into the area. Omar Rekik attacked it with conviction, rising highest and thumping a header past the Swedish goalkeeper.

For the first time all night, Sweden’s back line switched off, and Tunisia punished them. At 2-1, the mood shifted. The African side jogged into the tunnel with a sliver of belief, the goal giving their supporters something to cling to.

It did not last long.

Isak’s press breaks Tunisia

Sweden emerged for the second half with the same aggression, and by the 59th minute, the contest was effectively over.

Again, Isak stood at the heart of it. He chased what looked a routine situation for Tunisia, harrying captain Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of the box. Panic followed. Skhiri’s touch deserted him, the ball spilling loose in a disastrous moment of hesitation.

It dropped perfectly for Viktor Gyokeres. The Arsenal forward steadied himself and finished with icy composure, sliding the ball home to restore Sweden’s two-goal cushion. One touch, one strike, 3-1.

That goal broke more than just the scoreline. It broke Tunisia’s resistance.

Sweden start to swagger

With the result now firmly in their grasp, Sweden relaxed and began to play like genuine contenders.

Passes zipped. Rotations in midfield pulled Tunisia apart. Isak drifted between the lines, always available, always dangerous. Every Swedish attack felt like it might end with another blow.

The fourth goal arrived from the bench.

Mattias Svanberg had barely stepped onto the pitch when he found himself in the right place at the right time. A clever, subtle flick from Isak inside the area wrong-footed the defence and nudged the ball into Svanberg’s path. He reacted instantly, turning it home from close range.

The assistant’s flag went up, but the celebration only paused. VAR replays showed that Isak’s touch had actually played Svanberg onside. Decision overturned. 4-1, and Tunisia sinking fast.

Ayari finishes the rout

Sweden were not finished.

Deep into stoppage time, Tunisia’s defending disintegrated completely. A loose ball dropped invitingly in the area, and Ayari reacted quicker than anyone. One sharp step, one clean strike, and his second of the night ripped into the net.

A 5-1 scoreline told the story plainly: Sweden ruthless, Tunisia overwhelmed.

Group F blown open

The result sends Sweden straight to the top of Group F, three points clear after the Netherlands and Japan cancelled each other out in their opener. Graham Potter’s side now carry the look – and the swagger – of a team ready to go deep into this tournament.

Next comes a very different kind of test: the Netherlands on June 20. A side stung by two dropped points and desperate to reassert themselves against the new group leaders.

Tunisia, by contrast, stand on the brink. Their margin for error has vanished. They must regroup, quickly, and find a way past Japan on the same day or risk seeing their knockout ambitions fade before they ever truly began.