Sweden Was 2 Seconds From World Cup History: "An Insane Feeling"

Mattias Svanberg had been on the pitch for 18 seconds. Then he scored.

SFN Editor · 15 Jun 2026

The Wolfsburg midfielder came off the bench against Tunisia in Sweden's 5-1 World Cup opening win and immediately made himself part of the night's story, netting what turned out to be the fourth goal with essentially his first involvement.

According to statistics company Opta, Svanberg's goal is the second fastest ever scored by a substitute in a World Cup since 1966. Only Richard Morales of Uruguay was faster, having scored after 16 seconds against Senegal in 2002. Svanberg was just two seconds away from the record.

"It was insane. An insane feeling," Svanberg told Fotbollskanalen.

"I got to the ball in the right position and just tried to put it on target towards the far post. It is difficult for the goalkeeper to react from that distance."

The goal was not straightforward. The flag went up immediately for offside, and Svanberg had to wait while VAR reviewed the decision. The check revealed that Alexander Isak had touched the ball first before Svanberg finished, meaning the offside was overturned and the goal stood.

"When I saw the flag I thought it was offside. But as time went on and we started talking about it, I understood it should be fine as long as Alex was not offside. Because I knew he had touched the ball," Svanberg said.

He ended up celebrating twice — once when he scored, and again when the goal was confirmed. "That second celebration was just as good as the first one," he said, laughing.

Isak was quick to take credit for the assist.

"Incredible. What kind of substitute appearance is that? First touch, after just a few seconds. I saved him a little because I got a touch on the ball. An assist to me," – Alexander Isak, speaking to Fotbollskanalen.

Svanberg was relaxed about the near-record.

"Yes, I heard about it. It would have just been a fun thing. It is not something I attach any weight to."

Sweden face the Netherlands on Saturday in their second Group F match.