Two goals from Ayali and one each from Isak, Gökeres and Svanberg lifted Sweden to the top of Group F in Monterrey.
Published June 15, 2026
Sweden defeated Tunisia 5-1, leaving the North African country’s defensive reputation in tatters and taking control of World Cup Group F. The Mexican city of Guadalupe hosted the first match of the tournament.
Graham Potter’s side took the lead in the seventh minute of Sunday’s match, with midfielder Yasin Ayari firing in from outside the box after some confusion at the back.
Despite Ayali’s impressive finish, who is of Moroccan and Tunisian descent, the celebrations were muted.
Sweden doubled their lead in the 30th minute with a quick breakthrough and Alexander Isak freed up on the left.
The Liverpool forward ran forward, cut inside and fired a shot, but goalkeeper Muhib Chamakh got a hand on the ball but was unable to stop it.
Tunisia did not concede a single goal in qualifying, becoming the first team to achieve this feat after Ivory Coast and England.
Sweden threatened to overwhelm their opponents, but the game changed minutes before half-time when Omar Rekik headed home Hannibal Meybry’s defiant cross.
However, the Scandinavian nation rebuilt their two-goal cushion in the 59th minute after Tunisia again failed to defend.
Midfielder Elyes Schiri lost the ball to Isak on the edge of the box, which gave a feed to Victor Gökeres and the Arsenal man fired home.
Substitute Matthias Svanberg made it 4-1 in the closing stages after being ruled onside by VAR.
And there was still time for Ayali to score a wonderful goal from outside the penalty area.
Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but failed to qualify for the tournament in Qatar four years later.
Tunisia became the first African team to win a World Cup match when they defeated Mexico in 1978, but they have never advanced beyond the group stage.
