Sweden demolish Tunisia 5-1
Sweden announced their World Cup intentions emphatically, dismantling Tunisia 5-1 in Monterrey to seize control of Group F.
Brighton’s Yasin Ayari opened the scoring with a seventh-minute thunderbolt, though his celebration was muted given his Tunisian and Moroccan heritage.
Alexander Isak doubled the lead before Omar Rekik headed home Hannibal Mejbri’s cross to reduce the deficit just before half-time.
Viktor Gyokeres restored Sweden’s cushion after dispossessing Ellyes Skhiri, substitute Mattias Svanberg added a fourth and Ayari capped the rout with a second long-range effort.
Japan hold Netherlands to 2-2 draw
Japan fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Arlington, Texas. Virgil van Dijk put the Dutch ahead with a fine header before Keito Nakamura levelled.
West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville restored the lead with a sumptuous curled finish on his senior international debut, only for Daichi Kamada’s deflected 89th-minute strike to earn Japan a point.
Ivory Coast shock Ecuador 1-0
Amad Diallo came off the bench to break Ecuadorian hearts in Philadelphia, scoring in the 90th minute as Ivory Coast edged a tight Group E contest 1-0 in front of 68,274 fans.
Ecuador twice rattled the bar in the first half through John Yeboah and Alan Minda, while Elye Wahi struck the woodwork for the Ivorians after the restart.
PSG’s Willian Pacho and Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo had kept Ivory Coast at bay, but Wilfried Singo’s rampaging run down the right produced the low cross that the Manchester United winger sidefooted home.
It was Ivory Coast’s first World Cup win in 12 years, putting the 2024 African champions in a strong position to reach the knockout phase for the first time. 19-year-old RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande was a standout performer on his World Cup debut.
Germany crush Curacao 7-1
Germany thrashed debutants Curacao 7-1 in Houston in their first winning opener since lifting the trophy in 2014.
Livano Comenencia gave the Caribbean nation – the smallest by population ever to qualify, with 160,000 people – a historic first World Cup goal after Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha had opened the scoring.
However, Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz with a double, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav scored to put to bed any possibility of one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
– AFP
Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
