MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Yassine Ayari scores twice and Sweden shows it deserves to be in the 2026 tournament. world cup, They defeated Tunisia 5-1 on Sunday night to move into first place in Group F.
Alexander Isak and Viktor Gökeres each had a goal and an assist, while Matthias Svanberg also scored for Sweden, who are ranked 39th in the world and missed out on the 2022 World Cup despite reaching the quarter-finals in Russia eight years ago.
Omar Rekik scored for 45th-ranked Tunisia, who are playing in their seventh World Cup but have never advanced beyond the group stage.
The top teams in the group, the Netherlands and Japan, ended in a 2-2 draw early Sunday morning in Arlington, Texas.
Ayari opened the scoring for Sweden at the Estadio BBVA with a long-range goal in the seventh minute and second half stoppage time. he was silent at the celebration He scored his first goal with his hand raised in homage to the country of his father’s birth.
Isak scored his 18th international goal in the 30th minute when Gokeres found the Liverpool striker – who was sidelined for much of last season with a broken leg – on the counter-attack. Isaac cut inside, fired a low bullet It sailed past Tunisian goalkeeper Muhib Chamakh, who struggled all night.
Isak said he and Gokeres “have completely different qualities, which is very beneficial to the team,” adding: “We can bring a different type of attack.”
After Rekik’s goal in the 43rd minute halted Sweden’s momentum, Isak and Gökeres put Sweden in the lead. Isak won the ball and Gökeres set up a one-on-one with Chamakh, with the Arsenal striker easily scoring his 16th goal in his last 15 games for Sweden and his 21st goal in total.
Sweden coach Graham Potter said there was strong chemistry between Isak and Gökeres.
“They needed a well-functioning team behind them and I’m happy for the players that we took a step forward in that regard tonight,” Potter said.
Svanberg scored in the 84th minute. This goal was awarded after a lengthy video review.
Sweden will play the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday, while Tunisia will remain in Monterrey to play Japan on the same day.
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Ethan Wilcox is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
