GUADALUPE: Yasin Ayari struck the net twice as Sweden opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion, dismantling Tunisia 5-1 at Monterrey Stadium on Sunday.
Ayari set the tone early, firing Sweden ahead inside seven minutes with a thunderous long-range effort that left the Tunisian defence stunned.
The midfielder, who capped a dominant individual display with a stoppage-time strike, finished with a brace to bookend a commanding team performance.
Sweden’s attacking momentum continued as Alexander Isak doubled the lead in the 30th minute, capitalising on sustained pressure.
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Tunisia, however, briefly clawed their way back into the contest when Omar Rekik reduced the deficit just before half-time, offering a flicker of hope heading into the break.
Any potential comeback was quickly extinguished after the interval as Viktor Gyökeres restored Sweden’s two-goal cushion with a composed finish, before Mattias Svanberg added a fourth to put the result beyond doubt.
Ayari then returned to the spotlight in stoppage time, capping the scoring with another strike to complete a convincing win.
The result puts Sweden in a strong early position in Group F, where they are joined by Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan.
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Earlier in the group, Japan and the Netherlands produced one of the standout matches of the opening round, sharing a thrilling 2–2 draw in front of 69,285 fans in Texas.
Virgil van Dijk had given the Dutch the lead with a well-taken header before Keito Nakamura quickly responded for Japan.
Crysencio Summerville restored the Netherlands’ advantage with a superb curled finish, only for Japan to fight back again late on, with Daichi Kamada credited with a deflected equaliser to salvage a dramatic point.
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