Sweden Thrash Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire Snatch Late Win Over Ecuador at World Cup 2026

Sweden made a confident start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating Tunisia 5-1 in their Group F opener.

Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres were the main stars of the match. Yasin Ayari opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a powerful long-range strike. Isak later doubled Sweden’s lead after a pass from Gyokeres, before Tunisia got back into the game late in the first half through Omar Rekik.

After the break, Sweden completely controlled the match. Gyokeres scored the third goal after a mistake by the opposition, Mattias Svanberg then added another shortly after coming on, and Ayari completed his brace in stoppage time. Alexander Isak was named Player of the Match.

In another match of the day, Côte d’Ivoire earned a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ecuador. The game looked set to end in a goalless draw for a long time, although both teams created plenty of chances and struck the woodwork several times.

The decisive goal came in the 90th minute. Substitute Amad Diallo placed a precise shot into the bottom corner to give Côte d’Ivoire three crucial points. The team moved to the top of Group E.

Yan Diomande also made history: at 19 years and 212 days old, he became the first teenager to play for Côte d’Ivoire at a FIFA World Cup.