Sweden, who on the verge of not making it to the World Cup, got off to a flying start in the World Cup against Tunisia. – And to the delight of Liverpool fans, it seems that Alexander Isak is back from a very long trough.
Not only did he get on the scoresheet, he showed up with inspired play and his trademark scoring.
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The dream finally became reality
Alexander Isak marked his first ever World Cup appearance with a classic Isak goal, as Sweden crushed Tunisia in the opening match in Monterrey.
The Liverpool striker – who has been hampered by injuries since completing his £125m move to Anfield in September – hammered the ball into the bottom corner after a fierce run from the left just before the half-hour mark.
The goal came in collaboration with striker partner Viktor Gyökeres. The Arsenal striker held off his own marker in midfield before serving his Premier League colleague.
The goal doubled Sweden’s lead – after Yasin Ayari had already knocked the ball into the cross after seven minutes, as a result of sloppy Tunisian defending.
The 22-year-old Brighton midfielder, who made his debut for the national team while on loan at Coventry City in 2023, refused to celebrate when he became Sweden’s youngest World Cup scorer since Tomas Brolin in 1990. His first international goal came against his father’s country of birth.
Tunisia hoped – but Sweden crushed it
Tunisia reduced the deficit two minutes before half-time when defender Omar Rekik headed in after a free kick from Hannibal Mejbri.
But Sweden hit back hard. Isak became the opener – first for Gyökeres after an hour, and again 24 minutes later when substitute Mattias Svanberg scored the fastest goal by a substitute in World Cup history, just twelve seconds after he came on the pitch.
And Ayari crowned a five-star performance when he netted his second long-range goal – Sweden’s fifth – to send Graham Potter’s side straight to the top of Group F.
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What awaits these teams?
Sweden will face the Netherlands at Houston Stadium on June 20 at 19:00 CET, while Tunisia will face Japan in Monterrey on June 21 at 06:00 CET.
