Sweden 5
Tunisia 1
SWEDEN CRUSHED TUNISIA on Sunday to leave the North African nation’s defensive reputation in tatters and seize control of World Cup Group F.
Graham Potter’s men took the lead in Guadalupe in the seventh minute courtesy of Brighton midfielder Yasin Ayari’s thunderbolt from outside the box, following a mix-up at the back.
The celebrations of Ayari, who is of Moroccan and Tunisian descent, were muted despite his fine finish.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
Sweden doubled their lead on half an hour after a rapid break freed Alexander Isak on the left. The Liverpool player raced forward and cut inside before unleashing a shot, which goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh failed to keep out, even though he got a hand to the ball.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
Tunisia did not concede a single goal in qualifying, becoming the first side to achieve that feat, subsequently matched by the Ivory Coast and England.
Sweden threatened to overwhelm their opponents, but the match changed complexion minutes before half-time when Omar Rekik headed home Hannibal Mejbri’s teasing cross.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
However, the Scandinavian nation restored their two-goal cushion in the 59th minute after another defensive calamity for Tunisia.
Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri was caught in possession on the edge of the box by Isak, who fed Viktor Gyokeres and the Arsenal man fired home.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
Substitute Mattias Svanberg made it 4-1 late on after VAR ruled he was onside.
And there was still time for another stunning goal from Ayari from outside the penalty box.
Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia but did not qualify for the tournament in Qatar four years later.
Tunisia were the first African team to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico in 1978, but they have never progressed beyond the group stages.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026
*****
Ivory Coast 1
Ecuador 0
MANCHESTER UNITED’S AMAD Diallo struck in the 90th minute as the Ivory Coast stunned Ecuador and their huge support to edge a tight affair 1-0 in their World Cup opener on Sunday.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 15, 2026🇨🇮 1-0 🇪🇨
Full-time Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador: Amad Diallo wins it for Ivory Coast in Philadelphia who celebrate their first World Cup win in 12 years.
Watch all 104 games from the #FIFAWorldCup on RTÉ pic.twitter.com/cBIgz7BpvN
The Group E encounter had looked set to finish 0-0, hardly a surprise given Ecuador’s incredible defensive record during qualifying, and that result may well have suited both teams.
But the 23-year-old Diallo, who had been introduced in place of Bazoumana Toure shortly before the hour mark, had other ideas as he finished first-time from a right-wing cross right just as the game was heading for injury time.
The match seemed to be petering out to a goalless conclusion until the late drama.
Wilfried Singo went on a rampaging run from defence down the Ivorian right, before delivering a low centre for Diallo to score with a side foot finish, and silence the Ecuador support.
It is Ivory Coast’s first win at a World Cup in exactly 12 years, since they beat Japan in Brazil in 2014, and they can now be confident of making the knockout phase at the tournament for the first time.
It was a disappointing way to start for Ecuador, who had the majority of the 68,274 crowd at the packed Philadelphia stadium kitted out in yellow and backing them.
They hit the bar twice in the first half, through John Yeboah and Alan Minda, while Elye Wahi struck the same crossbar for the Ivorians after half-time.
Ivory Coast, African champions in 2024, will now hope to build on this when they play Germany in their next game in Group E in Toronto on Saturday.
The Ecuadorians will look to bounce back when they head to Kansas City the same day to play Curaçao, the debutant minnows who were hammered 7-1 by Germany earlier in Houston.
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.