The national team that did not achieve a single victory in the World Cup qualifiers gave five goals to a team that did not concede a single goal on its qualifying journey to North America!
Unbelievable, but true: The Swedes, who suffered in the European qualifiers, winning only two points in eight games, and only qualified for the World Cup thanks to the additional option of the Nations League, celebrated 5-1 in Monterrey against Tunisia, a team whose net had not been shaken in the African qualifiers.
How this unrealistic statistic fell flat as soon as the Group F clash in Mexico began.
As early as the 7th minute, the "Eagles of Carthage" were taking the ball out of the net, and after half an hour they had to do it again, only to concede as many as five goals by the end of the match.
Their "walls", as many described their defensive solidity, gave way somewhere along the way to the World Cup.
And they were definitely crushed in Mexico, and they were crushed by Alexander Isak and Viktor Đokereš, a hellish Swedish attacking tandem that could take the "three crowns" selection to where it already was at the American World Cup 32 years ago - in the semi-finals.
The walls were also broken by a Tunisian by origin, Brighton midfielder Yacine Ajari, who thought for a long time whether to play for the country of his ancestors or for the country he was born in. He chose Sweden and honored his Tunisia with two "bombs" from the edge of the penalty area.
The aforementioned trio - Isak-Đokereš-Ajari - participated in all five goals, and they even collaborated on some of them.
Isak, for example, escaped the Tunisian defense in the 7th minute, and Ajari fired the rebound straight into the net, which was the beginning of the end for Sabri Lamouchi's team in the Mexican city of steel and beer.
Isak finished it all alone in the 30th minute, carrying the ball on a counterattack and scoring for 2-0, and after the Tunisians reduced the deficit at the end of the first half through Maribor defender Rekik (with a header after the break), the Liverpool striker finished the job in the second half.
In the 59th minute, he took the ball away from Tunisia captain Shkiri and passed it to Victor Djokeresh, who was ruthless - 3:1.
By the end of the match, Isak had one more assist, in the 84th minute for Wolfsburg midfielder Svanberg, before Ayari finished the match with another projectile in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The Swedes took the lead in Group F, facing two of the toughest matches - against the Netherlands on June 20 in Houston and Japan on June 26 in Dallas.
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