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.
Sweden dismantled Tunisia 5-1, a scoreline that flattered the beaten side. Isak scored a stunning solo goal, forced the error for another, and applied the deftest of touches for a late strike that survived a VAR check. This was a forward taking control of the biggest stage, and dragging his country with him.
Ayari strikes early against his roots
The tone was set almost immediately.
Seven minutes in, Tunisia were already scrambling. A frantic sequence saw Mouhib Chamakh twice deny Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, only for the loose ball to break to Yasin Ayari on the edge of the box. The Brighton midfielder, eligible for Tunisia through heritage, showed no hint of divided loyalties. One touch to steady himself, then a ruthless drive that ripped into the corner.
Sweden were in front, and Tunisia’s vaunted defence — so miserly in qualifying — suddenly looked fragile.
The African side arrived with a reputation for organisation and resilience. Within half an hour, that image lay in ruins.
Isak cuts loose
The second goal came like a counter-punch from a heavyweight.
Sweden broke at speed, and Isak was released down the left. Space, grass, and a retreating back line in front of him. He drove at them, cut inside with a smooth, almost lazy change of direction, and left defenders chasing shadows. The finish was pure class: a curling shot bent into the far corner, beyond Chamakh’s reach.
This was the Isak Liverpool thought they were signing. Confident. Decisive. Cruel.
Tunisia, rattled, struggled to hold any kind of shape. Sweden sensed blood, pushed their full-backs high, and swarmed around every second ball. Graham Potter’s side, tipped as dark horses before a ball was kicked, suddenly looked every inch the contender.
Rekik offers Tunisia hope
Just when the game seemed to be slipping away from them completely, Tunisia found a lifeline.
Moments before the interval, Hannibal Mejbri finally found time and space to measure a cross. He delivered superbly, and Omar Rekik attacked it with conviction, rising highest to power his header past the stranded Swedish goalkeeper.
It was a rare lapse from Sweden’s back line, who had otherwise controlled the contest. For Tunisia, it was a precious foothold. A goal back, a roar from the stands, and a sliver of belief to carry into the tunnel.
At 2-1, the match briefly felt alive again.
High press, higher price
Any notion of a Tunisian comeback evaporated just before the hour.
Sweden squeezed up the pitch, hunting in packs. Isak led the charge, snapping at the heels of Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of the Tunisian area. The captain hesitated for a fatal heartbeat. Isak didn’t. His pressure forced Skhiri into a disastrous mistake, the ball spilling loose in a horrible area.
It dropped invitingly to Gyokeres. One touch to settle, one calm, clinical finish to restore the two-goal cushion.
At 3-1, Sweden relaxed. Not in intensity, but in expression. The passes became bolder, the rotations sharper. They played like a team who knew they belonged at the top of this group.
Svanberg and VAR seal it, Ayari finishes the job
The closing stages turned into an exhibition.
Mattias Svanberg arrived from the bench and needed only seconds to leave his mark. A clever move sliced through a tiring Tunisian defence, and Isak added a subtle flick in the box that wrong-footed the back line. Svanberg reacted quickest, turning the ball home.
The assistant’s flag went up, but the celebrations only paused. Replays showed Isak’s touch had actually played Svanberg onside. VAR confirmed it. The goal stood. 4-1, and any lingering doubt was gone.
Sweden were not finished.
Deep into stoppage time, Tunisia failed to clear their lines, and Ayari pounced again. Alert, aggressive, he snapped onto a loose ball and drove in his second of the night to complete a ruthless 5-1 demolition.
Group F thrown into sharp focus
The win sends Sweden straight to the top of Group F, three points clear after the Netherlands and Japan cancelled each other out in their opener. Potter’s side now carry both the points and the aura of a team ready to go deep.
Next up is the Netherlands on June 20 — a very different kind of test, against a side already under pressure after dropping points. Sweden will not fear it. Not after this.
Tunisia, by contrast, stand on the brink. Their goal difference has taken a hammer blow, and the margin for error has vanished. They must beat Japan on the same day to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Sweden have their talisman firing, their system humming, and the group in their hands. The question now is simple: can anyone stop Isak in this kind of mood?
