{"id":213860,"date":"2026-06-15T08:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/sweden-beats-tunisia-did-ayari-score-the-best-world-cup-2026-goal-so-far-is-this-soccers-snicko-the-new-york-times\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T08:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:04:15","slug":"sweden-beats-tunisia-did-ayari-score-the-best-world-cup-2026-goal-so-far-is-this-soccers-snicko-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/sweden-beats-tunisia-did-ayari-score-the-best-world-cup-2026-goal-so-far-is-this-soccers-snicko-the-new-york-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweden beats Tunisia: Did Ayari score the best World Cup 2026 goal so far? Is this soccer\u2019s snicko? &#8211; The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>World Cup<br \/>FIFA World<br \/>Cup 2026<br \/>Ayari pings in one of the goals of the tournament so far (Photo: Carl Recine\/Getty Images)<!-- --> <span class=\"Article_ImageCredit__2YNda inherit Typography_base__T6j8f\">Carl Recine<\/span><br \/>Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak enhanced their claim to be the best attacking pair at the World Cup while Yasin Ayari scored a superb goal as Sweden made a flying start to their World Cup campaign beating Tunisia 5-1.<br \/>Ayari\u2019s superb strike was followed by a non-celebration as a mark of respect to Tunisia, the country of his father, and Sweden we\u2019re quickly 2-0 ahead when Alexander Isak scored.<br \/>Advertisement<br \/>Tunisia struck shortly before half-time when Omar Rekik headed in to make a game of it but Isak set up Gyokeres for Sweden\u2019s third goal of the game and, after a ball sensor-based VAR review, Mattias Svanberg scored a fourth before Ayari smashed in a fifth.<br \/>Graham Potter\u2019s side now top group F after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7357555\/2026\/06\/14\/netherlands-japan-draw-result-world-cup-van-djik-kamada\/\">Netherlands and Japan drew a World Cup classic 2-2 earlier in the day.<\/a><br \/>Here <em>The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s Tom\u00e1s Hill L\u00f3pez-Menchero and Jacob Whitehead break down the key talking points.<br \/>It is truly impossible to strike a ball more sweetly. Yasin Ayari was the star man as Sweden beat Poland in the UEFA to playoffs to secure his side\u2019s place in North America \u2014 and continued with that form by scoring a stunner after just seven minutes of their opener.<br \/>Receiving a ball punched out of Tunisia\u2019s area, the Brighton &amp; Hove Albion midfielder took one touch to knock it into space, before coiling his diminutive frame behind a fierce shot that fizzed and curled into the net.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>\u201cThis is just quality. An absolute peach of a finish.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MauriceEdu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">@MauriceEdu<\/a> on Yasin Ayari\u2019s goal for Sweden &#x1f1f8;&#x1f1ea; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YLgcXGeBXl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/YLgcXGeBXl<\/a><br \/>\u2014 FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FOXSoccer\/status\/2066342897461408146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">June 15, 2026<\/a><br \/><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>Goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh was out his net, granted, but Ayari still needed to hit it on the bounce, from thirty yards, and beat a host of defenders coagulating on the line. They never had a chance.<br \/>Ayari raised his hands and did not celebrate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6925920\/2026\/06\/13\/yasin-ayari-sweden-potter-world-cup\/\">honouring his father\u2019s Tunisian heritage<\/a> \u2014 the country had tried to cap him during his youth career. His goal came from almost exactly the same position as his first goal for Brighton at the end of the 2024-25 season.<br \/>He bookended the match with a second goal that some may even find better \u2014 powering an effort past Chamakh with his laces in injury-time\u2026 and celebrating this time.<br \/>Advertisement<br \/>This has been a World Cup already blessed by beautiful goals after just 12 games \u2014 and both of Ayari\u2019s now sit among the very best. The other contenders?<br \/>Gio Reyna\u2019s trivela, curled into Paraguay\u2019s net with the outside of his foot to complete the USMNT\u2019s 4-1 win, is probably Ayari\u2019s main contender \u2014 though I retain a soft spot for South Korea midfielder Hwang In-beom\u2019s chop-turn and chip against Czech Republic in the tournament\u2019s second match, mimicked by Morocco\u2019s Ismael Saibari against Brazil one day later.<br \/>The skill for Vinicius Jr\u2019s equaliser in that match, a brutally efficient display of finishing, also merits a mention, as does Nestory Irankunda\u2019s incredible pace to score Australia\u2019s opener against Turkey.<br \/>Which was your favourite?<br \/><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSf8NudhAsAx51jwxnQyWOCCTmJy96M28OdqUzyiMCvEQXKqlg\/viewform?embedded=true\" width=\"640\" height=\"621\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\">Loading\u2026<\/iframe><br \/><em>Jacob Whitehead<\/em><br \/>Mattias Svanberg spent five times longer waiting to discover whether he had scored than he did trying to score himself.<br \/>The Wolfsburg midfielder slid a set-piece home after just 18 seconds \u2014 only for the flag to go up immediately for offside.<\/p>\n<p>After a VAR review, the key issue was whether Isak had touched the ball on its way through to Svanberg, who was offside from Ayari\u2019s initial delivery. To the naked eye, it appeared inconclusive \u2014 only for FIFA to delve deep inside their box of tricks to pull out a cricket-esque \u2018snicko\u2019 feature, used to adjudicate whether Isak had touched it, and based on sensors within the ball itself.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7361521\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/06\/14235821\/Screenshot-2026-06-14-at-23.57.46.png\" alt=\"\"><br \/>It ruled that the Liverpool striker had \u2014 and so Svanberg wheeled away to celebrate for a second time, the fourth goal in Sweden\u2019s eventual 5-1 victory.<br \/><em>Jacob Whitehead<\/em><br \/>What a difference 12 months makes.<br \/>This time last year, the eyes of the football world were on Isak, who was about to make his controversial move from Newcastle United to Liverpool. His slow start with the Premier League champions was perhaps understandable given how long that transfer saga rumbled on, but then a leg fracture suffered in December halted any progress for the British record signing.<br \/>Advertisement<br \/>So the 26-year-old arguably returned for this tournament with less of a sense of expectation on his shoulders.<br \/>There were loud cheers for Isak from the Swedish faithful when his name was read out before kick-off, but his strike partner Viktor Gyokeres sent their sizable travelling contingent even more wild. They were here thanks to the Arsenal striker: his hat-trick against Ukraine in the play-off semi-finals and winner against Poland in the final sent them to the World Cup.<br \/>Isak\u2019s finish here was a mirror image of how he cut in from the left and scored in style in Sweden\u2019s recent friendly defeat against Norway, albeit with some questionable goalkeeping from Tunisia\u2019s Mouhib Chamakh.<br \/><em>Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero<\/em><br \/>Victor Lindelof\u2019s pre-match comments smacked of bombast and confidence, the sort of words which are said but not meant, platitudes used to motivate rather than to be sworn under oath.<br \/>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t replace them with anyone,\u201d Lindelof said of Sweden\u2019s strike partnership of Isak and Gyokeres. \u201cI\u2019m really happy to have the two of \u200cthem. I\u2019m trying to go through in my mind what other countries there are (that have a similar partnership), but I think they are two top-class \u200cforwards, so it\u2019s amazing to have \u2060them on our team.\u201d<br \/>There is an argument they aren\u2019t even Sweden\u2019s best strike duo of the 21st century, given Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic\u2019s partnership of the 2000s. But after Sweden\u2019s opening game \u2014 in which both players scored in an excellent team performance \u2014 perhaps Lindelof is right that this is the best duo at the tournament.<br \/>Maybe this should not be surprising \u2014 after all, this is the Premier League\u2019s most expensive signing of all-time, and the starting striker of its current champions. They complement each other\u2019s games well \u2014 Gyokeres a battering ram of a centre-forward, Isak a master of movement with a ruthless touch \u2014 but struggled to show it consistently during a difficult qualifying campaign.<br \/>Advertisement<br \/>The best? Very few top teams play with two up front, but one side at least pips them \u2014 with reigning champions Argentina usually deploying Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez as a duo.<br \/>But, details aside, Lindelof has proved his point. Despite making it to this World Cup by their fingertips, Isak and Gyokeres could take Sweden very far indeed.<br \/><em>Jacob Whitehead<\/em><br \/>Their coach Sabri Lamouchi was forced to defend his team in his pre-match press conference, even suggesting one Tunisian journalist was being overly negative in his assessment of the side. You could hardly blame the reporter: their previous result had been a 5-0 friendly loss to Belgium.<br \/>The north African side are more known for grinding out results or frustrating opposition attacks than thrilling viewers. They have never progressed beyond the group stage in their previous six attempts. Four years ago in Qatar, they scored once and conceded once.<br \/>There were signs of improvement here. Hannibal Mejbri was a constant source of excitement, his fine cross leading to Rekik\u2019s header to cut the deficit. Burnley\u2019s former Manchester United youngster then tried an audacious chip in the 50th minute, which had goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt backpedalling, before geeing up the crowd five minutes later as he went to take a corner.<br \/>But the third goal they conceded perhaps shows that attacking enterprise doesn\u2019t pay at the World Cup: Ellyes Skhiri dawdled on the ball after Chamakh rolled out to him and allowed Isak in, before Gyokeres forced the ball home. Skhiri\u2019s team-mates instantly went to comfort him, but it arguably showed just why Tunisia tend to play it safe on football\u2019s biggest stage.<br \/><em>Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero<\/em><br \/>Spot the pattern. Connect the terms<br \/>Find the hidden link between sports terms<br \/>Play today&#x27;s puzzle<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMimAFBVV95cUxNMHVoUTZhdlZWTFVaa2RVU0JTRGM3QTYyVzZGeURjd1FIQUptV1FkZWcxNUN3M3Uzd1ExNV9keG91QW42eHpUZGNaTGU0a1VZTjQ5cjZ1LUkwSFFyUFBTaUltcHRsSkdmcWNBSHFub0h1LXJmVUY0QmRab2tmUF93SEpzTXJrcG96TG5wdnNzS3BZOGNjWVZhUQ?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World CupFIFA WorldCup 2026Ayari pings in one of the goals of the tournament so far (Photo: Carl Recine\/Getty Images) Carl RecineViktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak enhanced their claim to be the best attacking pair at the World Cup while Yasin Ayari scored a superb goal as Sweden made a flying start to their World Cup [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-213860","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}