Sweden announced themselves in emphatic style with a 5-1 dismantling of Tunisia, a performance powered by the ruthless partnership of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak and illuminated by Yasin Ayari’s spectacular brace.

Ayari opened the scoring with a thunderous strike from distance, arrowing the ball into the top corner after Sweden had already seen a Gyokeres effort cleared off the line. The Brighton midfielder’s celebration was notably restrained, a nod to his Tunisian heritage and the country he was once eligible to represent.

Sweden’s control grew as Isak and Gyokeres began to stretch Tunisia’s back line. The second goal arrived when Gyokeres dropped deep and slipped the ball into space near halfway. Isak surged forward, cut inside onto his right foot and guided a precise finish into the bottom-right corner, a reminder of his poise after an injury-disrupted club season.

Tunisia briefly threatened a revival. Omar Rekik glanced in a header from Hannibal Mejbri’s cross to make it 2-1, injecting tension just before the interval. Yet any hopes of a comeback were extinguished after the break as Sweden’s front line reasserted their authority.

Isak turned creator for the third, drifting wide before threading a pass into Gyokeres, who swept a composed finish beyond the goalkeeper to restore the two-goal cushion. It underlined the understanding between the pair, who became only the second Swedish strike duo to assist one another at a World Cup.

Substitute Mattias Svanberg added the fourth in dramatic fashion. Just 18 seconds after coming on, he arrived in the box to convert after a flick from Isak. The assistant’s flag initially ruled it out, but a lengthy VAR check confirmed a slight touch from Isak had played Svanberg onside.

Ayari then capped the night with another long-range masterpiece deep into stoppage time, this time celebrating without restraint as his shot flew past the despairing dive of the Tunisian keeper.

The result sends Sweden to the top of Group F, their attacking fluency and the Gyokeres-Isak axis offering a statement of intent ahead of sterner tests against Japan and the Netherlands. For head coach Graham Potter, the blend of clinical finishing and composure in key moments suggests his side may be building something formidable.