By Hatem Maher
June 14 (Reuters) - Tunisia's defence was impregnable during their qualifying campaign but it was given a harsh reality check in their World Cup opener on Sunday as the ruthless Swedish strike partnership of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres proved too hot to handle.
The Scandinavians cruised to a 5-1 victory that exposed the fragility of a defence that had not conceded a single goal in qualifying.
The warning signs had been flashing, however, with a 5-0 friendly defeat by Belgium just
days before the tournament.
Sweden piled on more misery in Monterrey, with Isak and Gyokeres tormenting Tunisia's back line with clever movement and runs into the channels that pulled their opponents out of shape.
Yasin Ayari provided the creativity in midfield for the Swedes and he opened the scoring after seven minutes with a thunderous strike before adding another late on to complete the rout.
Ayari, whose father is Tunisian, chose not to celebrate his opener, briefly raising his hands in acknowledgement rather than joining the jubilant scenes around him.
Tunisia tried to build attacks through Hannibal Mejbri but were smothered by Sweden's packed midfield, which outnumbered their opponents in central areas and denied Mejbri the space he usually thrives in.
He still managed to provide the assist for Omar Rekik's first-half goal, but otherwise struggled to impose himself on the contest.
Forward Elias Saad was guilty of holding on to the ball too long on several occasions, slowing down a number of potentially dangerous attacks.
When Tunisia pushed forward in search of a way back into the game after the break, Sweden punished them ruthlessly.
Gyokeres and Isak led rapid counter attacks into the spaces left behind, and the floodgates eventually opened.
By the time Ayari crashed home another long-range effort in stoppage time, Sweden had underlined their attacking credentials while Tunisia were left searching for answers after conceding 10 goals across their last two matches.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
