Sweden announced themselves at this World Cup with a performance of genuine quality, beating Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey to sit alone at the top of Group F after the opening round of fixtures. The scoreline flatters Sweden only slightly. Tunisia had more of the ball but generated an expected-goals figure of 0.28. Graham Potter's side, working from a 3-1-4-2, were ruthless in transition and devastatingly effective whenever Alexander Isak got involved.
Yasin Ayari settled the evening before most people had found their seats. His seventh-minute goal put Sweden ahead and set the tone for what was to come: a night on which Tunisia's five-man defensive block was picked apart rather than battered down. Ayari would finish with two goals to his name, his second arriving in the sixth minute of stoppage time from a Lucas Bergvall assist to complete the rout and give the scoreline its definitive shape.
The partnership between Isak and Viktor Gyökeres was the story of the first half, and arguably the story of the match. They appeared to operate with a shared understanding that Tunisia's defence could not quite match, and the goals proved it. Isak found Gyökeres for the assist on the second goal in the 30th minute, then repaid the favour after the break when Gyökeres assisted the third on 59 minutes. Each fed the other, each scored and each set up a goal. Tunisia's xG figure of 0.28 against seven Swedish shots on target tells you everything about the disparity in attacking threat.
There was a moment, just before half-time, when the narrative threatened to shift. Omar Rekik pulled one back in the 43rd minute, converting from a Hannibal Mejbri assist to make it 2-1. The five-man Tunisian defensive shape had been designed to limit space and hit on the counter; briefly, that counter threat felt real. Sweden carried a two-goal advantage into the interval, but the scoreline was closer than the underlying numbers suggested it should have been.
Potter's side came out for the second half with intent. Gyökeres restored the two-goal cushion on 59 minutes and the game was effectively over from that point. Tunisia's six offsides were evidence of a back line defending high and being repeatedly caught; the structure that had promised solidity before the break gradually unravelled under sustained Swedish pressure. Mattias Svanberg struck in the 84th minute with Isak picking up his second assist of the match. Then Ayari struck again in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Bergvall threading the pass, to complete a result that will echo around Group F for some time.
Sweden finished with nine shots inside the box, seven on target and a passing accuracy of 79 per cent. They did not dominate possession, ending on 49 per cent, but they did not need to. The goals came from quality rather than volume, and Isak's tally of one goal and two assists from 89 minutes put the seal on a display that marks Sweden as genuine contenders in this group.
Tunisia face a significant task now. With Japan and Netherlands sharing a 2-2 draw in the group's other first-round fixture, every point from here becomes precious. Sabri Lamouchi's side had enough of the ball on the night, 51 per cent, but could only muster two shots on target all evening. The arithmetic is already uncomfortable after one game, and a goal difference of minus four will take some repairing as the group stage develops. Sweden, by contrast, begin this tournament with everything pointing in the right direction.