Isak Shines as Sweden Dominates Tunisia in Group F Opener

Alexander Isak walked into this tournament with questions still hanging over his Liverpool move. He walked out of this game as the face of a team that suddenly looks every inch a contender.

This was a statement. For him. For Graham Potter. For Sweden.

From the first whistle, Sweden played as if impatient with the idea of easing their way into the competition. Chaos in the Tunisian box inside seven minutes set the tone. Isak and Viktor Gyokeres both saw efforts repelled in a frantic scramble, the ball ricocheting kindly to Yasin Ayari on the edge of the area.

The Brighton midfielder, Tunisian heritage or not, showed no mercy. One touch to set himself, then he drilled a fierce low strike through the crowd and into the corner. Sentiment parked. Sweden in front. Tunisia stunned.

That early punch rattled a side that had arrived with a reputation built on defensive discipline in qualifying. Within half an hour, that image lay in pieces.

The second goal came like a lightning break. Tunisia pushed up, lost their shape for a moment, and Sweden pounced. Released down the left, Isak surged into space, gliding past desperate challenges with the kind of authority Liverpool fans expected when he first arrived at Anfield. He cut inside, opened his body and bent a measured finish into the far corner.

Clinical. Inevitable. 2-0, and Tunisia’s vaunted back line suddenly looked brittle.

For a spell, it threatened to become a rout before half-time. Sweden pressed high, recycled possession smartly and attacked in waves, with Isak constantly dragging defenders out of position. Tunisia clung on and, to their credit, found a response just when the game seemed to be slipping away from them completely.

From a rare moment of sustained pressure, Hannibal Mejbri delivered a teasing cross into the area. Omar Rekik rose above his marker and powered a header past the Swedish goalkeeper, punishing a lapse in concentration at the back. The goal, just before the interval, gave Tunisia oxygen and a sliver of belief as they headed down the tunnel at 2-1.

Any thoughts of a Tunisian resurgence died shortly after the restart.

Sweden cranked up the press, hunting in packs around the Tunisian box. Under that suffocating pressure, captain Ellyes Skhiri hesitated on the edge of his own area. Isak pounced, harrying him into a disastrous mistake. The loose ball broke perfectly for Arsenal forward Gyokeres, who took a touch, steadied himself and finished with icy composure to restore the two-goal cushion.

That was the moment the tension drained from Swedish shoulders. From then on, they played with a swagger that matched their pre-tournament billing. The passes became braver, the combinations sharper. Tunisia, chasing shadows, never really looked like finding a way back.

Potter turned to his bench late on and found an instant reward. Mattias Svanberg had barely crossed the white line before he was wheeling away in celebration. A clever, delicate flick from Isak inside the box wrong-footed the Tunisian defence and left Svanberg free to stab the ball home.

The assistant’s flag went up, briefly threatening to spoil the party, but VAR intervened. Replays showed Isak’s touch had actually played Svanberg onside. The goal stood. 4-1, and any lingering debate ended there.

Sweden were not done.

Deep into stoppage time, Tunisia’s resistance finally crumbled completely. Another loose ball dropped invitingly to Ayari, who reacted quickest to lash home his second of the night and Sweden’s fifth. A thumping 5-1 scoreline, and a performance to match.

The implications were immediate. Sweden sit top of Group F, three points clear after the Netherlands and Japan cancelled each other out in their opener. Tunisia, by contrast, stare at an uphill climb if they want to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Next comes a true measure of Sweden’s credentials: the Netherlands on June 20. A Dutch side smarting from two dropped points, a Swedish team brimming with confidence and led by a forward who suddenly looks reborn on the international stage.

On the same day, Tunisia face Japan knowing there is no more room for error. One more slip, and this tournament could be over before it ever really began.