By Laura Gottesdiener, Hatem Maher and Martin Petty
Sweden coach Graham Potter praised the chemistry between forwards Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres after they tore Tunisia’s defence to shreds in a 5-1 victory in their World Cup opener on Sunday.
Yasin Ayari started and finished the scoring, and substitute Mattias Svanberg also found the net, but it was Isak and Gyokeres who posed the main threat to Tunisia throughout the match.
Both players scored a goal and created a host of other chances as the Swedes cruised to the Group F win.
“Individually, of course, they are top players but I think together they can be a real threat,” Potter said. “I think they’ll get better and better the more they play; they complement each other very well.
“I’m really pleased with the players. We know the quality of the individuals in the front positions but they needed a team to function.
“We weren’t perfect; we knew we wouldn’t be. But at the start of the game I thought we had good control.”
Sunday’s match was the first time Sweden and Tunisia have met in the World Cup.
Tunisia had not conceded a single goal in qualifying but Sunday marked the second straight game they had conceded five after losing 5-0 to Belgium in a warm-up match ahead of the tournament.
Sweden lead the group with three points after the Netherlands and Japan drew 2-2 earlier in the day. Sweden’s next game is against the Netherlands on June 20 in Houston.
“We know we’ll meet a top team next and we have to be ready for that,” Potter said.
The Sweden trio of Ayari, Isak and Gyokeres were all on target in the big victory over Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico.
Sweden took the lead after seven minutes when Ayari’s right-footed piledriver nestled into the far corner after goalkeeper Abdelmouhib Chamakh was caught off his line, before Isak doubled the advantage on the half-hour mark by coolly finishing a breakaway following a deft pass from Gyokeres.
Tunisia reduced the deficit two minutes before halftime through Omar Rekik’s glancing header, but Gyokeres restored Sweden’s two-goal cushion in the 59th minute after midfielder Ellyes Skhiri was dispossessed on the edge of the area.
Mattias Svanberg side-footed home six minutes from time and Ayari netted his second of the night with a superb strike in stoppage time to complete the rout. Sweden top Group F on three points ahead of Japan and the Netherlands, who drew 2-2 earlier.
Also in Group F on Sunday night, a resilient Japan came back twice from behind to hold the Netherlands in a second-half World Cup Group thriller in Texas.
After a first half frustrated by Japan’s compact defending, the Netherlands broke the deadlock in the 51st minute in Dallas when Ryan Gravenberch whipped in a fine cross for captain Virgil van Dijk to head into the far corner.
Japan fought back and levelled six minutes later when Keito Nakamura converted his fierce low shot from outside the area, only for the Netherlands to go ahead again in the 64th when Crysencio Summerville’s brilliant strike went in off the far post.
But Japan battled back and found the equaliser two minutes from time when substitute Koki Ogawa’s superb header from a corner went in off Daichi Kamada.
The Netherlands next face Sweden in Houston and Japan will meet Tunisia in Monterrey, both on June 20.
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