Tunisia hit five in painful World Cup opener against Sweden

Sweden 5–1 Tunisia: a brutal Group F opener

That was a tough watch. Tunisia were swept aside 5–1 by Sweden in their World Cup opener Monday, leaving Graham Potter's side bottom of Group F after one match. Sweden went top with a performance that exposed a clear gulf in quality (1) (2) (3).

Sweden's front two of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, described in German media as the "Millionen-Duo", ran riot (7). The result was never in doubt after the break. Three second-half goals turned a contest into a statement.

Ayari runs the show with two goals

Yasin Ayari scored twice for Sweden, including a long-range strike described as a "thunderbolt" (8). The Brighton midfielder refused to celebrate either goal, a mark of respect with Tunisian roots in his family background (8) (14). Isak and Gyökeres were also on the scoresheet, with Gyökeres netting Sweden's third after 60 minutes (6) (7). Mattias Svanberg had a late goal disallowed in the 84th minute (11).

An apology to the Tunisian people

After the match, a quote emerged from the Tunisia camp: "Jeg vil be det tunisiske folket om unnskyldning", I want to apologise to the Tunisian people (12). No player was named in the source, but the sentiment matches the mood. This was not the start anyone expected.

Rekik gets on the scoresheet

The one bright moment: Omar Rekik pulled a goal back for Tunisia in the 43rd minute, making it 2–1 just before half-time (5) (11). For a brief spell, you were right in it. Sweden's response after the break, three unanswered goals, was ruthless.

Fan reactions

Tunisia fans online are struggling to process the scale of the defeat. The Rekik goal thread on Reddit captured a moment of genuine hope before half-time, the kind of energy that makes tournament football special. But the Gyökeres strike that made it 3–1 is the one being shared widely, and the mood in the comments is resignation rather than anger. See the Svanberg disallowed goal thread.