Sweden opened their World Cup campaign with a convincing 5-1 victory over Tunisia in Group F, moving to the top of the standings after Japan and the Netherlands played out a draw.

Yasin Ayari gave Sweden an early advantage with an excellent long-range strike in the sixth minute. The Brighton midfielder chose not to celebrate out of respect for Tunisia, the country of his father and one he was eligible to represent internationally.

Sweden doubled their lead five minutes before half-time through Alexander Isak. After receiving a pass from Viktor Gyokeres near the halfway line, the forward drove into space before finishing calmly into the bottom corner.

Tunisia responded before the break when Omar Rekin headed home to reduce the deficit and give his side hope going into the second half.

However, Sweden regained control after the interval. Isak turned provider in the 59th minute, setting up Gyokeres, who finished well to restore the two-goal advantage.

Substitute Mattias Svanberg added a fourth goal in the 84th minute, just moments after coming onto the pitch. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review confirmed it would stand.

Ayari completed the scoring deep into stoppage time with another impressive strike from distance, securing his second goal of the match and rounding off an impressive team performance.

The result gives Sweden an ideal start to the tournament, with strong displays from Ayari, Isak and Gyokeres helping Graham Potter’s side take control of Group F.