ALEXANDER ISAK & VIKTOR GYÖKERES AMONG THE GOALS AS SWEDEN THRASH

 

Sweden made a devastating statement of intent at the 2026 World Cup as they dismantled Tunisia 5-1 to move to the top of Group F. Spearheaded by the clinical duo of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, who both got their names on the scoresheet, the Scandinavians proved far too powerful for their African opponents in Monterrey.

Isak shines as Sweden's stars find their groove

Isak put a difficult debut season with Liverpool firmly behind him by delivering a dominant performance on the world stage. The striker was the architect of Tunisia's downfall, scoring a brilliant solo goal and playing a pivotal role in the build-up to several others as Graham Potter's side lived up to their pre-tournament billing.

The breakthrough came as early as the seventh minute through Brighton's Yasin Ayari. Despite having Tunisian heritage, the midfielder showed no sentimentality as he rifled home from the edge of the box after Mouhib Chamakh had initially denied Isak and Gyokeres in a chaotic opening sequence.

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Tunisia struggle to contain rampant strike force

Tunisia arrived at the tournament boasting a proud defensive record from qualifying, but that reputation was shredded within half an hour. Sweden's second arrived via a blistering counter-attack that saw Isak released down the left flank; the Liverpool man cut inside with ease, leaving the Tunisian defence trailing before curling a precise effort into the far corner.

Tunisia did manage to find a lifeline just before the interval to briefly threaten a comeback. Omar Rekik rose highest to head home a well-delivered cross from Hannibal Mejbri, punishing a rare lapse in the Swedish backline and giving the African side a glimmer of hope heading into the tunnel.

Gyokeres capitalises on defensive errors

Any hopes of a Tunisian revival were extinguished in the 59th minute when Sweden's high press paid dividends. Isak was again the catalyst, harassing captain Ellyes Skhiri into a catastrophic error on the edge of the area. The ball fell perfectly for Arsenal's Gyokeres, who composed himself before clinicaly widen the lead.

The goal settled any remaining nerves for the Swedes, who began to play with the swagger of genuine contenders. The gloss was added to the scoreline late on as Mattias Svanberg made an instant impact. Seconds after being introduced from the bench, he turned the ball home after a subtle flick from Isak. While the assistant referee initially raised his flag, a VAR review correctly determined that Isak’s touch had played Svanberg onside, making it 4-1. There was still time for Ayari to record his second of the night in stoppage time, pouncing on a loose ball to complete the 5-1 thumping.

- Donny Afroni

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIKTOR GYÖKERES

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK | VIKTOR GYÖKERES

 

ARSENAL CLOSE ON VIKTOR GYOKERES AFTER SIGNING MARTIN ZUBIMENDI IN £50M

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting after agreeing personal terms with the Sweden striker. Negotiations are continuing over a fee for the 27-year-old, with Arsenal hoping to strike a deal for less than the £68m asking price.

Gyökeres has made no secret of his desire for a new challenge, having scored 54 goals for Sporting last season, and is understood to have made clear he wants to join Arsenal despite interest from elsewhere in the Premier League, including Manchester United.

Arsenal had identified Gyökeres as one of their two main targets to add firepower, with strong interest also in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko. With Mikel Arteta keen to bring in reinforcements as soon as possible, Arsenal’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, is understood to have stepped up efforts to sign Gyökeres after the arrival of the midfielder Martín Zubimendi was confirmed on Sunday.

Gyökeres, who joined Sporting from Coventry in 2023, is believed to have agreed a five-year deal at the Emirates. It is understood that his former club Brighton would be due money under a sell-on clause.

Zubimendi, who turned down Liverpool last summer, has joined on a five-year deal. The Spain international was heavily linked with Real Madrid in recent weeks despite being understood in March to have a pre-agreement to join Arsenal.

Arteta made the 26-year-old his primary midfield target as Arsenal attempt to bridge the gap after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League, and Zubimendi’s signing represents a major boost after the departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey at the end of their contacts last week. Partey was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault – allegations he denies – three days after leaving.

Arsenal are believed to have been searching for midfield replacements since last summer, with Zubimendi emerging as their preferred option thanks to his impressive displays for Real Sociedad and Spain. Their attempts to sign him last summer alongside Mikel Merino – who left Real Sociedad for about £32m – are understood to have been rejected because the Spanish side did not want to lose both players in the same transfer window.

Arsenal were able to secure a pre-agreement in March after continuing talks. The fee is believed to be slightly more than his release clause of £51m after they fought off late interest from Madrid, whose new manager, Xabi Alonso, coached Zubimendi for Real Sociedad’s B side.

Once I made the decision to leave, I set my sights on Arsenal because I think their style of play is a good fit for me,” Zubimendi told his new club’s website. “It’s a young, highly motivated and ambitious team. They have shown their potential recently, and I believe the best is yet to come.”

Brentford’s Christian Nørgaard is also expected to complete his move to north London after the clubs agreed a deal worth up to £15m, and Arsenal are understood to have discussed personal terms with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and are weighing up whether to bid for the England international.

Arteta said of Zubimendi: “Martín is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team.”

- Ed Aarons

ARSENAL'S RAYA WARNS TEAMMATES OF 'IN-FORM' GYÖKERES' QUALITY

David Raya has warned his Arsenal teammates that Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyökeres is a "top player in form" as Mikel Arteta urged his strikers to find their ruthless streak to keep their Champions League hopes on track.

Gyökeres has become one of Europe's most prolific forwards after netting 24 goals in 17 games this season, attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and the Gunners.

Sporting host Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday and Arsenal goalkeeper Raya said of Gyökeres: "We know his strengths, how he runs a lot in behind and scores a lot in one v. one and he is a top player in form.

"We are going to try and keep him very, very quiet. Don't give him any chances. We have to step up defensively. Hopefully we can do a great job and keep a clean sheet."

Arteta refused to be drawn on Gyökeres specifically, choosing instead to focus on Sporting's collective threat, having beaten Manchester City 4-1 in Ruben Amorim's final Champions League match before becoming United boss.

Gyökeres scored a hat trick that night and since joining Sporting from Coventry in 2022, he has scored 69 goals in 67 games across all competitions.

Asked how good the Sweden international is and how Arsenal can stop him, Arteta chose to focus on Sporting's remarkable unbeaten 19-game run this season, including 17 victories.

Viktor Gyökeres scored a hat trick for Sporting against Man City in his last Champions League game. Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

"I would like to talk about the team, about the coaches and how phenomenal they have been," said Arteta. "The run they are in is incredible. That tells you that it is not only the quality, the setup, the ambition, it is something about the team energy that they have. That is a great challenge that we have tomorrow, to come here and make a statement and show we are capable against this kind of opponent. Be ourselves and win the game."

Pushed further on Gyökeres, Arteta replied: "I understand the question, but they have a lot of individual qualities. That's why they can win games in various ways. And yes, in the specific position they have great players."

Arsenal have won just one of their last eight away games in Europe and have not scored in their last four, a run dating back to last December's 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven when the Gunners had already booked their spot in the knockout rounds.

"Not all the games have been the same. It's true that within those games there were games that were when we had already qualified," Arteta said. "Something that is very true is that we have to improve those results and we have to find ways to understand what has been missing. Sometimes it's been performance, sometimes it's been other aspects. That's the next step we have to make as a team.

"I wouldn't say that this is the most important thing but the efficiency that we have shown inside the box at this level with the chances that we are normally able to generate in the Champions League level, is not at the level required to win consistently.

"I always say the Champions League is about boxes, small margins and details. You have to get all of those right to win, especially away from home."

Sporting are second in the Champions League table, two points behind first-place Liverpool, while Arsenal sit in 12th on seven points after four matches.

- James Olley, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: ARE MADRID IN CRISIS? HOW GOOD IS GYÖKERES?

Matchday 4 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League is in the books and the 36-team table is starting to take shape.

Shock losses for Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have set alarm bells ringing, while Viktor Gyökeres' three-goal performance against Manchester City has made the entire football world sit up and take notice.

ESPN writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens reflect on some of the burning questions after four rounds.

Are Real Madrid in crisis, and what does Carlo Ancelotti need to do to get this team firing again?

Ogden: Madrid are absolutely in crisis. Back-to-back defeats shouldn't be a big deal, just something that goes with the territory, but this is Real Madrid, where no defeat is acceptable. And when you are hammered 4-0 at home by Barcelona and then lose again in the next game, against a fellow European heavyweight in AC Milan, things have gotten really bad.

There are mitigating factors, such as the retirement of Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal's season-long injury, Jude Bellingham having to tone down his attacking game to accommodate Kylian Mbappé, and Mbappé himself, who is nowhere near the player Madrid expected him to be. Mbappé's best position is wide left, but the same applies to Vinícius Júnior, so how do you solve that problem?

It's a tough one for Ancelotti, who will know that his job will be on the line if Madrid don't emerge from their slump quickly. Ancelotti has said before that his number-one job is keeping the club president happy -- and Florentino Perez won't be happy right now.

Marcotti: It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Real Madrid are a team made with Panini stickers, and that it would be a challenge to make the pieces fit together. We've said all along that the team was unbalanced and Ancelotti would need to somehow make it work. He hasn't been able to (yet) and, while they have more firepower than anyone and that can paper over a lot of cracks, at some point it catches up to you (especially when Thibaut Courtois isn't between the sticks).

Their possession game hasn't been great and obviously Kroos is a huge loss (as is the fact that Luka Modric is now literally the oldest player in the history of the club and obviously can't give you as many minutes as in the past). Solutions? I'd imagine you'd have to turn to the transfer window in January.

Short-term I think you have to accept that neither Vinícius nor Mbappé will work off the ball, so pressing and winning possession high isn't going to happen. That means you need to control games and hopefully not just end up with a bunch of sterile possession. You can try giving more playing duties to Eduardo Camavinga, or possibly try to get Bellingham to go back to his original spot in midfield. At least that way you'd have some sort of a base. And maybe you can think of a hybrid back three with Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping in there in certain situations, allowing the full-backs to push up (but, again... do you want Ferland Mendy pushing up? I'm not sure).

The only other alternative is seeing if you can get Bellingham to play some sort of center-forward role with Mbappé around him. But that would mean Vinícius in left midfield, which isn't ideal either if he's not going to help his full-back. The ugly truth is that this is a collection of star individuals, not a team. Somebody needs to make a sacrifice. And even that may not be enough.

Laurens: "'Allo Toni? It's Carlo. Please come back, this is a mess! I need you, we need you. I beg you!"

This is what Real Madrid have to do right now. Get on the phone to Kroos and convince him to come out of retirement to sort the unbalance and add some technical leadership to the midfield. Ancelotti, Perez, sporting director Juni Calafat, Antonio Rüdiger, the tea lady, the Bernabéu cleaner, the Ciudad Deportiva groundsman -- I don't care who, but someone needs to make the call and get Kroos to come back. The team is in crisis and while the Germany legend returning would not solve all the problems, at least the team would be better structured and have more control on the ball.

Then there is the small matter of the forward line. Mbappé is not a No. 9 and will never be a proper one. But he can still do a job there if the team around him is set up right. Leave the left side to Vinícius, get Bellingham higher up closer to Mbappé, Federico Valverde on the right, and give more responsibilities to Camavinga at the heart of midfield.

Has Gyökeres proved this season that he can deliver on the biggest occasions and deserves a major move? Or is this just a flash in the pan?

Ogden: He isn't a flash in the pan. Gyökeres scored 43 goals in 50 games for Sporting CP last season having made the leap from Coventry City in the Championship to the Portuguese top-flight, and he is continuing to prove himself as a formidable centre-forward this season.

The big question is whether he can do it at a higher level than the Portuguese Primeira Liga. A Champions League hat trick against Manchester City is an emphatic way to silence his naysayers, but there is no doubt that Gyökeres has enjoyed a meteoric rise. Three years ago, Brighton & Hove Albion let him go for just £1 million to Coventry after unproductive loan spells at St. Pauli, Swansea City and Coventry, who nonetheless saw enough in him to sign the Sweden international permanently. To be nowhere at 23, but a sensation at 26 is remarkable, but my view is that he is the real deal. He is quick, strong, great in the air and a powerful finisher; Sporting will do well to keep him.

Marcotti: He's obviously not a flash in the pan, because he's done it for a while. Then again, Gyökeres being really good would mean that Brighton -- a club known for their skill in spotting and nurturing talent -- got it badly wrong because he was on their books for five years between the age of 19 and 24 and he never played.

There's probably some prejudice against him because there's a whole history of big, strong center-forward types who score a ton of goals in the Portuguese league and don't exactly set the world on fire elsewhere (see Mehdi Taremi, Darwin Núñez, Carlos Vinícius... heck even Simon Banza scored 21 last year). Last year, he scored three goals from open play in the Europa League, this year he has three from open play in the Champions League. With Sweden, he has 10 in 24. He's a serviceable striker, sure, but I think teams are going to be reluctant to pay Erling Haaland-type money, given he's already 26 and is still rough around the edges.

Laurens: 66 goals in 66 games in all competitions for Sporting is not a fluke. But the Champions League is the best arena to judge him and his hat trick against Manchester City on Tuesday (albeit including two penalties), and five goals in four games (one against Lille and one against Sturm Graz) shows he can do it there too.

He is a proper finisher, clinical in front of goal, strong physically, and can run in behind too. Is he ready for the Premier League, the best and toughest league in the world? Probably yes. He will need to step up though as the Portuguese league is too easy for him. He needs to work on his link-up play and become a more complete all-round striker, but at 26, he has plenty of time for that.

- ESPN

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