World Cup action took place in the early hours of Monday morning, for those in the UK, as Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United stars took centre stage.
Sweden, who qualified for World Cup 2026 thanks to their performance in the Nations League and then the play-offs, faced Tunisia in a 3am BST kick-off at the Monterrey Stadium.
Coached by Graham Potter, Sweden produced a five-star performance with Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak assisting each other’s goals. Mattias Svanberg was also on target, while Brighton’s Yasin Ayari started and finished the scoring.
Isak endured an injury-hit first season with Liverpool but was able to put that all behind him, grabbing Sweden’s second goal before seizing on a defensive mistake to provide team-mate Gyokeres with the third just before the hour mark.
The result means Sweden top Group F after Netherlands and Japan played out an entertaining 2-2 draw on Sunday evening.
Alexander Isak ⚽
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 15, 2026
Viktor Gyokeres 🅰️
The two Premier League strikers combining in Sweden's five-star performance! 🇸🇪⭐ pic.twitter.com/6VC4IBmFWe
Elsewhere, there was late drama as Man Utd winger Amad Diallo scored in the 90th minute to hand Ivory Coast a victory over Ecuador in the second match from Group E.
Amad replaced Bazoumana Toure early in the second half and may now be rewarded for his impact with a start against Germany in his side’s next fixture at the weekend.
In the same game, Yan Diomande - a reported transfer target for Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain - earned rave reviews on social media for his performance, proving difficult for Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie to handle.
Ivory Coast join Germany on three points at the top of the table, though trail the four-time world champions by virtue of an inferior goal difference after Kai Havertz scored twice in a 7-1 thrashing of Curacao.
