Gyökeres scores first World Cup goal as Sweden routs Tunisia 5-1

Viktor Gyökeres did more than open his World Cup account in Monterrey. His 59th-minute finish snapped a spell of uncertainty for Sweden, which had briefly looked exposed after Tunisia had cut the margin to 2-1 before halftime.

The decisive move came from Alexander Isak, who pounced on a serious mistake in Tunisia’s buildup and fed Gyökeres in the area. The Arsenal forward finished across the goalkeeper with his right foot, and Sweden’s advantage suddenly looked secure again inside the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico. From that moment, Tunisia’s resistance began to crumble under pressure.

Sweden had taken control early through Yasin Ayari, who scored in the 7th minute, before Isak made it 2-0 in the 30th. Tunisia found a lifeline just before the break when Omar Rekik pulled one back, turning what had seemed a comfortable Swedish lead into a more uncertain contest. That spell of vulnerability made Gyökeres’s goal crucial: it restored the two-goal cushion and shifted the match back toward Sweden’s terms.

The rest of the evening only widened the gap. Mattias Svanberg struck in the 87th minute, and Ayari added his second deep in stoppage time to complete a 5-1 victory for Sweden in Group F of the 2026 World Cup. Gyökeres’s goal was also the first of his World Cup career, a milestone that arrived at a moment when Sweden needed authority more than style.

The result carried extra weight because Sweden did not arrive in Mexico as a conventional favorite. It had finished last in its qualifying group and needed a lifeline through the UEFA Nations League playoff route just to reach the tournament. This was also Sweden’s first World Cup since 2018, making the emphatic win feel like a reset as much as an opening statement.

Tunisia entered with a very different reputation, having gone through qualifying without conceding a goal, and with this tournament marking a third straight World Cup appearance. But costly errors in possession and a collapse under pressure turned that defensive pedigree into a liability, while Sweden’s front pairing of Isak and Gyökeres showed the sharp edge that can change a group stage campaign quickly in the expanded 48-team format.