Sweden thrashes Tunisia 5-1 in World Cup opener; Netherlands draws with Japan

Sweden began their World Cup campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their opening Group F match.

The Swedish team showcased their attacking prowess, with goals coming from various players. Ayari opened the scoring early in the match and added a second goal in stoppage time. Alexander Isak extended Sweden's lead in the first half, followed by Viktor Gyökeres in the second half. Mattias Svanberg, who came on as a substitute, scored Sweden's fourth goal after a VAR review confirmed its validity, before Ayari sealed the dominant win.

Tunisia managed to pull one goal back through Rekik just before halftime, but it was not enough to shift the momentum of the game. The victory gives Sweden a strong start in a group that also features the Netherlands and Japan.

In the other Group F match played earlier, the Netherlands and Japan played out a 2-2 draw. The Dutch took the lead through Virgil van Dijk, but Japan responded with goals from Nakamura and Kamada. Cody Gakpo's goal for the Netherlands secured a point for his team.