Isak Shines as Sweden Dominates Tunisia 5-1 in Group F Opener
Alexander Isak arrived at this tournament with questions still swirling around his first, stuttering season at Liverpool. Ninety minutes later, he walked off as the face of a Sweden side that suddenly looks every inch a contender.
This was a statement. For Isak, for Graham Potter, and for a Sweden team that dismantled Tunisia 5-1 with a ruthless, modern edge that left their opponents shell-shocked.
Ayari strikes early against his roots
The tone was set almost immediately.
Seven minutes in, chaos in the Tunisian box. Mouhib Chamakh twice scrambled to smother openings for Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, but Sweden refused to let the moment die. The ball broke to Yasin Ayari on the edge of the area and the Brighton midfielder, Tunisian heritage or not, showed no hesitation.
One touch, head up, laces through it. A rising drive ripped past the goalkeeper and into the net. No celebration muted, no sentiment spared. Sweden were in front and already dictating the tempo.
Tunisia had arrived with a defensive record they wore like a badge of honour from qualifying. Organised. Disciplined. Hard to break down.
Within half an hour, that image lay in ruins.
Isak takes centre stage
The pressure grew, wave after wave, until Isak seized the game and bent it to his will.
Sweden’s second came from a blistering counter-attack, the kind of move that turns a tight match into a procession. Released down the left, Isak surged into space, isolated his defender and cut inside with a glide that made the challenge look optional. The Tunisian back line backed off, then disappeared from the picture altogether.
From there, the finish was pure class. A measured, curling strike into the far corner, the sort of goal that silences doubt and ignites tournaments. Liverpool may not yet have seen this version of Isak on a weekly basis, but Sweden have built a system around him — and it showed.
Tunisia looked rattled, their previously assured structure pulled apart by movement, pace and precision. Yet, just when Sweden seemed ready to run away with it before the break, a crack appeared.
Rekik offers Tunisia brief hope
Out of almost nothing, Tunisia found a lifeline.
A well-shaped cross from Hannibal Mejbri finally asked a proper question of the Swedish defence, and Omar Rekik rose to meet it. His header was firm, guided into the corner, punishing a rare lapse at the back.
At 2-1, the mood shifted. Tunisia jogged towards the tunnel with a sliver of belief restored, Sweden with a reminder that dominance means nothing if you leave the door ajar.
Any notion of a comeback, though, evaporated as quickly as it had appeared.
High press, higher stakes
With 59 minutes gone, Sweden squeezed. Hard.
The high press that Potter demands snapped into perfect shape around Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of his own area. Isak led the charge, harrying the Tunisian captain into a disastrous mistake. Under pressure, Skhiri coughed up possession in a zone you simply cannot afford to lose it.
The loose ball fell kindly to Gyokeres. One touch to settle, one to finish. The Arsenal forward stayed ice-cold, sliding his shot home to stretch the lead and, effectively, close the contest.
From that moment, Sweden relaxed without losing their edge. The nerves vanished. The football flowed.
They started to look like what many had tipped them to be before a ball was kicked: a side built not just to compete, but to go deep.
Bench impact and a final flourish
The final stages turned into an exhibition.
Mattias Svanberg arrived from the bench and needed only seconds to leave his mark. A clever, delicate flick from Isak inside the box unlocked the Tunisian back line again, and Svanberg reacted quickest to turn the ball home.
The assistant’s flag went up, briefly threatening to spoil the moment, but VAR stepped in. Replays showed that Isak’s touch had actually played Svanberg onside. Goal given. 4-1. Any lingering debate about the outcome disappeared.
Sweden still were not done.
Deep into stoppage time, Ayari pounced on a loose ball to grab his second of the night, drilling home to complete the 5-1 scoreline and add a personal flourish to an already emphatic team display.
Tunisia, so proud of their defensive resilience in qualifying, had been ripped open five times. Sweden, often labelled functional in years gone by, strutted through the final whistle with the swagger of a side that has discovered a sharper, more ambitious identity.
Group F blown wide open
The result sends Sweden straight to the top of Group F, three points clear after the Netherlands and Japan cancelled each other out in their opener. It gives Potter’s side not just an early advantage, but a psychological edge: they have scored freely, their star forward has caught fire, and their system looks in sync.
Next comes a very different test against the Netherlands on June 20. A tougher opponent, a higher calibre of threat, and a chance for Sweden to prove this was more than just a ruthless dismantling of vulnerable opposition.
For Tunisia, the equation is brutal but simple. They must regroup, quickly, and beat Japan to avoid their knockout hopes fading before the final round even arrives.
Sweden, with Isak at the heart of everything, already look like they plan on being around for much longer.
