Isak and Gyokeres star as Sweden thrash Tunisia

FIFA World Cup

Sweden 5 – 1 Tunisia FT

Alexander Isak marked his first World Cup appearance with a trademark goal as Sweden thrashed Tunisia in their opening match of the tournament in Monterrey.

The Liverpool forward – who has been hampered by injuries since completing a £125m move to Anfield in September – found the bottom corner with a thumping finish after a powerful run from the left on the half-hour mark.

The goal came after linking up with strike partner Viktor Gyokeres, with the Arsenal forward holding off his marker on the halfway line before laying the ball into the path of his fellow Premier League forward.

His strike doubled Sweden’s advantage after Yasin Ayari had rifled a shot into the top corner after seven minutes following a sloppy piece of defending from Tunisia.

The 22-year-old Brighton midfielder – who made his senior international debut while on loan at Coventry City in 2023 – refused to celebrate after becoming Sweden’s youngest World Cup scorer since Tomas Brolin in 1990, with his first international goal coming against the country of his father’s birth.

Tunisia halved the deficit two minutes before half-time when defender Omar Rekik headed home from Hannibal Mejbri’s free-kick.

But Sweden hit back when Isak turned provider – first for Gyokeres on the hour mark, then again 24 minutes later when substitute Mattias Svanberg scored the fastest goal by a substitute in World Cup history, just 12 seconds after coming on.

Ayari applied the gloss to a five-star performance by smashing home his second long-distance goal, and Sweden’s fifth, to send Graham Potter’s side top of Group F.

What’s next for these teams?

Sweden will take on the Netherlands at the Houston Stadium on 20 June (18:00 BST), while Tunisia will face Japan in Monterrey later than day (21 June, 05:00 BST).