The Netherlands made a statement in the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign by registering their first win of the tournament with a convincing 5-1 rout over Sweden, which propelled them to the summit of Group F.
Manager Ronald Koeman rewarded his gamble on placing striker Brian Brobbey in the starting lineup, as he bagged two goals in just 17 minutes. Brobbey broke the deadlock as he bundled the ball in from Cody Gakpo’s cut-back before slotting in Denzel Dumfries’ through-ball to make it 2-0 for the Dutch.
Sweden’s attempts to come back via Viktor Gyokeres and Yasin Ayari were denied by saves from Dutch custodian Bart Verbruggen.
Back from the dressing room for the second half, the Netherlands came out to kill any hopes of Swedish recovery with Cody Gakpo making it three just two minutes into the restart before he sealed his brace with a cool finish after Crysencio Summerville’s pass.
Sweden finally pulled one back through Anthony Elanga following an excellent play from Alexander Isak before Substitute Summerville added the finishing touches to a superb evening with a blast from range.
Their dominant display stretched the Netherlands’ fine World Cup run, with the Dutch having now gone 14 games at the tournament (excluding penalties) without defeat. Sweden still have a chance of making it through, though they will have to take care of business in their final group game.
