Yasin Ayari scored two goals in Sweden's World Cup opener against Tunisia and says it gave him confidence for the rest of the tournament. The Brighton midfielder emphasizes that the team's victory was most important after the charged match where he referred to Tunisia as his "second country".
After the match, Ayari received both positive and negative reactions from Tunisian sources. A journalist reacted when he called Tunisia his second country, creating a charged situation in the mixed zone. Ayari says it is natural that they want him to play for them, especially after he scored two goals against their team.
Ayari says the two goals gave him personal confidence while also boosting the team's belief after a shaky start to the tournament. He stresses that focus now shifts to the next match against the Netherlands and that the team must be ready and switched on to win.
Sweden faces the Netherlands in their second group match and Ayari looks forward to facing his Brighton teammates Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul van Hecke and Mats Wieffer. He says they have good contact and that it will be fun to face each other at the World Cup.
With the win over Tunisia behind them, Sweden is preparing for the Netherlands match that kicks off at 7:00 PM. The team has shown early form and Ayari will build on his debut performance as the squad aims to advance from the group.
