Graham Potter leads Sweden to 5-1 World Cup victory against Tunisia
Graham Potter has begun his World Cup managerial career with a resounding 5-1 victory for Sweden against Tunisia at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico.
The Solihull-born coach is rebuilding his reputation after enduring challenging spells in the Premier League.
He was dismissed by West Ham in September following an unsuccessful prior stint at Chelsea.
Few expected the former Brighton boss to be steering a nation to such a dominant opening win on the global stage.
A triumphant return to Swedish football
The 5-1 thrashing in Group F demonstrated a ruthless attacking edge that had previously been absent.
The Scandinavian side scored more goals in this single match than they managed throughout their entire group-stage qualifying campaign.
Potter took charge in October after Jon Dahl Tomasson was dismissed following a dismal run of results.
Sweden had finished bottom of their qualifying group behind Switzerland, Kosovo, and Slovenia without a single victory.
Overcoming qualification hurdles
Despite their poor conventional qualifying campaign, the team secured a play-off spot through their Uefa Nations League ranking.
The 49-year-old manager successfully guided his squad past Ukraine and Poland to secure their ticket to North America.
Following the comprehensive victory against their African opponents, the Swedish camp will now be highly confident of reaching the knockout stages.
“You never know, that’s the truth. You never know how things are going to go. We were optimistic because we felt confident in the work.”
“But until the game is played you don’t know for sure. That’s the beauty of sport. We are delighted with how we performed tonight and it’s a great start for us.”
Redemption on the international stage
Managing the national team represents a significant shift for the tactician after a tumultuous 15 months in English club football.
He recorded just six wins in 23 matches during his final role in London with the Hammers.
However, returning to Scandinavia has evidently refreshed the man who first made his name at Ostersunds FK.
He famously guided the provincial club from the Swedish fourth tier to the top flight and into European competition before his move to England.
“I feel very Swedish,” Potter told BBC Sport prior to the tournament.
That connection clearly remains strong as he looks to mastermind a deep run in this summer’s showpiece event.
