HOUSTON – In a dominant display of attacking football that pulled the Netherlands to the top of Group F at the FIFA World Cup, Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo each netted two goals to power the Dutch side to a lopsided 5-1 victory over Sweden on Saturday. The convincing win marked a sharp rebound for the Oranje, who were left frustrated by a 2-2 draw with Japan in their tournament opener just days earlier.
Brobbey set the tone for the match early, putting his name on the scoresheet twice inside the opening 18 minutes to give the Netherlands a comfortable two-goal advantage before halftime. The forward’s first strike came in the 5th minute, when he connected cleanly on a first-time right-footed finish from Gakpo’s well-placed cross into the penalty box, sending the ball into the back of the net before tumbling to the turf. Twelve minutes later, Brobbey doubled his tally, sliding to meet a cross from Denzel Dumfries and tapping the ball past the Swedish goalkeeper with the tip of his right boot to find the far post.
A late first-half scare for the Dutch was averted when Gustaf Lagerbielke’s 44th-minute header was ruled out for offside, keeping Sweden off the scoreboard heading into the break. The Swedish center-back, who comes from a prominent noble family in the country with his father and grandfather holding the title of count, was unable to turn his side’s first solid chance into a goal before halftime. Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen also turned away four Swedish efforts in the opening 45 minutes, turning in a standout performance to preserve his side’s clean sheet heading into the second half.
Just two minutes after play resumed, Gakpo extended the Netherlands’ lead to 3-0, converting Denzel Dumfries’ cross in the 47th minute to add his name to the scoresheet. Seven minutes later, the winger matched Brobbey’s two-goal haul, drilling a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty box to push the lead to 4-0, with Crysencio Summerville notching an assist on the play. Gakpo also picked up an assist on Brobbey’s first goal of the afternoon, turning in a complete all-around performance.
Sweden finally got on the board in the 59th minute, when Anthony Elanga slotted home a left-footed strike to cut the deficit to 4-1 and avoid a total shutout. The result marks a devastating fall for Sweden, who impressed in their opening match with a 5-1 blowout win over Tunisia. Saturday’s defeat is Sweden’s heaviest World Cup loss since a 7-1 defeat to Brazil back in 1950.
Crysencio Summerville put the final nail in the coffin for the Dutch in the 89th minute, netting the team’s fifth goal of the match and celebrating with NBA star Stephen Curry’s viral “night night” gesture that has become popular across global sports. In total, 68,777 fans packed into Houston’s stadium for the match, with the overwhelming majority supporting the Netherlands. Many of the Dutch supporters traveled 2.5 miles from Rice University to the venue on Saturday morning as part of the traditional Oranje Fanwalk. The match also drew two high-profile special guests: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who watched the match from a private luxury suite.
Heading into the final round of Group F matches, Netherlands sit atop the group standings with four points, while Sweden hold three points. The final group fixtures are scheduled for next Thursday: Sweden will face Japan at Dallas Stadium, while the Netherlands will take on Tunisia in Kansas City.