Tottenham: Lucas Bergvall proves point to Roberto De Zerbi as Sweden thrash Tunisia
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall made his presence felt for Sweden against Tunisia in the early hours of Monday morning.
The 20-year-old has now made his World Cup debut after first breaking through as a full international in 2024.
He had only made nine appearances for his nation, but his 10th came at the showpiece tournament.
Things couldn't have started much better for Graham Potter's side as Brighton's Yasin Ayari opened the scoring after seven minutes.
He rounded up the scoring in the 96th minute after Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg netted to help seal a 5-1 win.
Bergvall didn't get on the scoresheet, but put in a positive performance off the bench that showed Roberto De Zerbi what he can do.
Lucas Bergvall makes impact in Sweden cameo vs Tunisia
The Spurs man wasn't given the nod from the start, so had to make his chance count if it came.
Potter eventually gave him the nod to come on and he was afforded 25 minutes of action at Monterrey Stadium.
He was only afforded 13 touches in that time, but he certainly made them count as Bergvall grabbed an assist for Ayari's second goal.
The Swede did so by winning a tackle high up the pitch, catching out Ismael Gharbi, before the Brighton man arrowed in a stunning strike.
Without the work rate of the Spurs midfielder, that wasn't possible and it represented one of his three defensive actions on the day.
He also won two duels and complemented that by winning 100 per cent of dribbles in Guadalupe.
After facing his fair share of struggles in N17, he could earn himself more regular chances with his World Cup performances.
Bergvall could become Tottenham starter after World Cup
It has only been one game of the summer tournament, but it was the perfect start for Sweden.
They now look ahead to group stage clashes with the Netherlands and Japan, neither of which will be easy.
These outings give Bergvall the perfect chance to prove himself further and show De Zerbi what he's been missing out on.
Bergvall has made just one start under the Italian for Tottenham, featuring across just 103 minutes of action in that time.
That isn't enough for someone who could be as good as the 20-year-old and he is showing that on the international stage.
Should he come into his own at the World Cup in the coming days and weeks, he could force his way into becoming a regular Spurs starter moving forward.