Sweden star comments on turbulence of emotions against his father's Tunisia

Sweden's 5-1 victory over Tunisia, in Group F of the World Cup, provoked mixed feelings in midfielder Yasin Ayari, who scored two goals of rare beauty against the country where his father was born.

Ayari's father, Azzouz, had already told the Swedish press that his son turned down the opportunity to play for Tunisia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Four years later, the player debuted in the tournament wearing the Sweden shirt and found the net twice against the African team.

"It was very emotional playing against Tunisia, a country I have a lot of feelings for. As you all know, my father is from there, I spent many summers there and I have a lot of family in the country. But now I play for Sweden and I need to do my best for Sweden," said Ayari.

"I have roots there. It was a special match for me. I have a lot of affection for Tunisia, but I'm happy for our victory."

Ayari opened the scoring after just seven minutes with a powerful shot from outside the box. During the celebration, he showed respect to his opponent and celebrated in a discreet way, while teammates and fans celebrated in the stands.

In stoppage time of the final stage, he scored another great goal and didn't hide his emotion.

"That was the final blow. Then I was able to loosen up a little more. It's not every day you score two goals in a World Cup," he said.

History could have taken a different turn if the 22-year-old had chosen to represent Tunisia four years ago. According to his father, however, Yasin was always convinced that he would defend the Swedish team, which did not even compete in the Qatar Cup.

"My children were born in Sweden. I want him to play for Sweden. He must feel like he is giving back to the country that really took care of him," Azzouz told Swedish newspaper *Aftonbladet* before the start of the tournament.

The Ayari family has a strong connection with football in Stockholm. Yasin and his younger brother Taha started their careers in AIK's youth teams. Her mother, Amina, of Moroccan origin, often works at the Strawberry Arena, the stadium that hosts AIK and Swedish national team games.

With the victory, Sweden took the lead in Group F and is now preparing to face the Netherlands in the second round. The Dutch drew 2-2 with Japan in their debut.

"We focused on ourselves. We played this match without worrying too much about what was happening around us. Now it's time to think about the next game", concluded Ayari.

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Source: CNN