MONTERREY, Mexico — Yasin Ayari scored twice and Sweden delivered one of the most impressive performances of the opening round, defeating Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday to move to the top of Group F.The Brighton midfielder opened and closed the scoring at Estadio BBVA, finding the net in the seventh minute before adding a second deep into stoppage time as Sweden announced itself as a serious contender for a place in the knockout rounds.Ayari’s first goal carried added significance, with the midfielder choosing not to celebrate out of respect for Tunisia, the homeland of his father.Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres were also outstanding for Sweden, each contributing a goal and an assist in a dominant attacking display.Isak doubled Sweden’s lead in the 30th minute after being released on the counterattack by Gyökeres, calmly finishing for his 18th international goal.Tunisia briefly gave itself hope when Omar Rekik reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute, but Sweden quickly regained control after the break.Isak turned provider early in the second half, winning possession and setting up Gyökeres, who finished confidently to restore Sweden’s two-goal cushion.Mattias Svanberg added a fourth goal in the 84th minute following a lengthy VAR review before Ayari completed the rout with a spectacular long-range effort in added time.The convincing victory moves Sweden to the top of Group F after the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the day.Sweden will face the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday in a clash that could decide top spot in the group, while Tunisia remains in Monterrey to take on Japan.MONTERREY, Mexico — Yasin Ayari scored twice and Sweden delivered one of the most impressive performances of the opening round, defeating Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday to move to the top of Group F.The Brighton midfielder opened and closed the scoring at Estadio BBVA, finding the net in the seventh minute before adding a second deep into stoppage time as Sweden announced itself as a serious contender for a place in the knockout rounds.Ayari’s first goal carried added significance, with the midfielder choosing not to celebrate out of respect for Tunisia, the homeland of his father.Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres were also outstanding for Sweden, each contributing a goal and an assist in a dominant attacking display.Isak doubled Sweden’s lead in the 30th minute after being released on the counterattack by Gyökeres, calmly finishing for his 18th international goal.Tunisia briefly gave itself hope when Omar Rekik reduced the deficit in the 43rd minute, but Sweden quickly regained control after the break.Isak turned provider early in the second half, winning possession and setting up Gyökeres, who finished confidently to restore Sweden’s two-goal cushion.Mattias Svanberg added a fourth goal in the 84th minute following a lengthy VAR review before Ayari completed the rout with a spectacular long-range effort in added time.The convincing victory moves Sweden to the top of Group F after the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the day.Sweden will face the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday in a clash that could decide top spot in the group, while Tunisia remains in Monterrey to take on Japan.
Ayari scores twice as Sweden crushes Tunisia in World Cup opener
