Yasin Ayari recorded a brace, Alexander Isak had one goal and two assists, and Viktor Gyokeres recorded a goal and an assist to help Sweden cruise to a 5-1 victory over Tunisia on Sunday night in World Cup Group F play at Guadalupe, Mexico.
Mattias Svanberg also scored as Sweden took advantage of some sloppy play by Tunisia to win the opening match for both squads.
Omar Rekik scored for Tunisia, who took just two shots from inside the box.
Sweden is the lone unbeaten team in Group F. Japan and Netherlands played to a 2-2 tie earlier Sunday.
Sweden scored twice in the first 30 minutes to take control of the match.
The first strike, coming in the seventh minute, was set up by Victor Lindelof’s long pass upfield. Tunisia goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh came way out of his area to try to eliminate the opportunity but was unsuccessful and Gyokeres took a left-footed shot that was cleared away by Tunisia’s Montassar Talbi.
The ball caromed beyond the box to Ayari, who sent a right-footed rocket toward the net with only defender Mohamed Amine in the path. Ayari’s shot sailed over the head of Amine and into the net.
In the 30th minute, a counterattack saw Isak receive the ball on the left flank. He maneuvered around Talbi and sent a hard right-footed ground shot that hit off the arm of a diving Chamakh en route to the back of the net and a 2-0 lead.
Tunisia got on the board in the 43rd minute when Hannibal Mejbri delivered a stellar cross that Rekik was able to flick his head on and sent it into the net.
Sweden regained a two-goal lead in the 59th minute due to a mistake in the Tunisia end.
Chamakh lackadaisically sent an underhanded rolling pass to Ellyes Skhiri and Isak stole the ball. He tapped it over to Gyokeres, who sent a right-footed shot into the net to make it 3-1.
Svanberg scored off a free kick in the 84th minute. He was initially ruled to be offside but a review displayed that Isak had tipped the ball with his foot before it got to Svanberg — eliminating any offside — and the goal was restored. That tip gave Isak his second assist of the night.
Another Tunisia giveaway gave Ayari a chance in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage play and he drilled a right-footer into the top left corner.
The Swedes outshot Tunisia 13-6, including a 7-2 advantage in shots on target.
Sweden’s Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Chamakh each registered one save.
Sweden will next face Netherlands on Saturday in Houston. Later than night, Tunisia will meet Japan in Guadalupe, Mexico.
–Field Level Media
