Isak Masterclass Leads Sweden to Dominant Victory Over Tunisia
Alexander Isak arrived at this tournament with questions still hanging over him after a bruising first year at Liverpool. Ninety minutes later, he walked off as the face of a Swedish side that suddenly looks every inch a contender.
This was a demolition. A 5-1 dismantling of a Tunisia team that had prided itself on defensive steel in qualifying. By the end, that reputation lay in pieces, and Isak stood at the centre of the wreckage.
Ayari strikes early against his roots
Sweden needed just seven minutes to rip up the script.
Yasin Ayari, born with Tunisian heritage but draped in Swedish yellow, took one touch on the edge of the box and thrashed a low drive beyond the keeper. The move itself was chaos: Mouhib Chamakh twice denied Isak and Viktor Gyokeres in quick succession, bodies flying, blocks ricocheting. The ball finally squirmed loose to Ayari, who showed no sentiment and even less hesitation.
One swing of his right boot, and Tunisia’s carefully laid plans were in trouble.
The North Africans had arrived with a proud defensive record, tight lines, and an organised back four. Inside half an hour, Sweden had torn through all of it.
Isak announces himself
The second goal came with brutal simplicity and showcased exactly why Liverpool paid big money for Isak.
Tunisia pushed forward, lost it, and suddenly Sweden were away. A blistering counter ripped them open, Isak released down the left with green grass ahead and panic behind. He drove at his man, cut inside as if the defender wasn’t there, and curled a precise finish into the far corner.
Clinical. Cold. Devastating.
In that moment, the difficult debut season in England felt distant. This was the Isak who had terrorised defences before his move to Anfield, now doing it on the biggest stage.
Tunisia staggered. Their line dropped deeper, their full-backs hesitated to cross halfway. Sweden sensed it and began to move the ball with a swagger that matched the scoreline.
Tunisia grab a lifeline
Just as the game threatened to run away completely, Tunisia found a foothold.
Right on the stroke of half-time, Omar Rekik rose highest to meet a superb cross from Hannibal Mejbri. Sweden’s backline, rock-solid until then, switched off for a split second. Rekik did not. His header flashed past the goalkeeper and suddenly the Tunisian bench roared back to life.
At 2-1, the mood shifted. The African side jogged to the tunnel with a glimmer of belief. Sweden, dominant for most of the half, had been reminded that one lapse could drag them into a fight they thought they had already won.
Any thoughts of a comeback did not last long.
High press, high price
On 59 minutes, Sweden squeezed. Tunisia cracked.
The high press that Graham Potter had demanded finally delivered the killer blow. Isak hunted down captain Ellyes Skhiri on the edge of the Tunisian area, forcing a disastrous mistake. Under pressure, Skhiri lost his footing and the ball broke loose in the worst possible place.
It fell to Viktor Gyokeres, the Arsenal forward taking a touch, steadying himself, and finishing with icy composure to restore the two-goal cushion. 3-1, and with it, Tunisia’s resistance.
From that moment, Sweden relaxed. Not in effort, but in expression. The passes grew bolder, the movement sharper. They started to look like a team fully aware that Group F might just belong to them.
Svanberg and VAR add the gloss
Potter turned to his bench late on and found another willing finisher.
Mattias Svanberg had barely stepped onto the pitch when he made it 4-1. A clever, subtle flick from Isak inside the area wrong-footed the defence, and Svanberg reacted quickest to turn the ball home. The assistant’s flag went up, but the celebrations only paused.
VAR intervened, lines were checked, and the replays showed what Sweden already suspected: Isak’s touch had actually played Svanberg onside. Goal given. Tunisia sunk.
There was still time for one last flourish.
Deep into stoppage time, Ayari pounced again. A loose ball dropped invitingly, and the Brighton midfielder snapped it up, drilling home his second of the night to complete the 5-1 rout. By then, Tunisia were chasing shadows, their earlier defensive pride a distant memory.
Sweden take control of Group F
Elsewhere, the Netherlands and Japan had cancelled each other out in a draw, which made Sweden’s victory even more valuable. Three points, five goals, and top of Group F with daylight between them and the rest.
Tunisia, by contrast, now stare at an uphill climb to keep their knockout hopes alive. One heavy defeat has left them needing a response, and fast.
There will be no easing into the next round. On June 20, Sweden meet the Netherlands in what already feels like a battle for first place. The Dutch, having dropped two points, know they cannot afford another slip.
On the same day, Tunisia face Japan in a game that now looks like a test of character as much as quality. Lose, and “premature retirement” from this tournament looms large.
For Isak and Sweden, though, the path is clear. Keep playing with this edge, this ruthlessness, and Group F might only be the beginning.
