2026 W’Cup: Netherlands Crush Sweden 5-1

The Netherlands took a major step toward the knockout rounds of the World Cup with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Sweden in Houston on Saturday, powered by braces from Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey.

Backed by a crowd of nearly 69,000 spectators, the Dutch delivered a dominant attacking display to claim their first win of the tournament after opening with a 2-2 draw against Japan.

The result lifted Ronald Koeman’s side to the top of Group F with four points from two matches, ahead of Sweden on three points. Japan and Tunisia, who were scheduled to meet later on Saturday, trailed behind in the standings.

Brobbey, handed his first start of the competition, justified his selection with two first-half goals that set the tone for the Dutch rout. The Sunderland striker opened the scoring in the fifth minute before doubling the advantage 12 minutes later.

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The first goal came after a flowing move involving goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Liverpool forward Gakpo, whose low cross found Brobbey for a simple finish from close range.

Sweden, fresh from a 5-1 victory over Tunisia in their opening game, struggled to contain the physical presence of the Dutch forward, while their own attacking duo of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres found opportunities hard to come by.

Despite trailing, Sweden created several chances before halftime. Yasin Ayari squandered a clear opening after miscontrolling a cross from Gyokeres, while both players were repeatedly denied by Verbruggen, who produced a series of important saves to preserve the Dutch lead.

Any hopes of a Swedish comeback faded almost immediately after the restart.

Just two minutes into the second half, Gakpo made it 3-0, finishing from close range after another dangerous delivery from Denzel Dumfries. The Liverpool attacker struck again on 54 minutes, cutting inside his marker before drilling a low shot into the corner to extend the advantage.

Sweden managed a consolation goal five minutes later when substitute Anthony Elanga raced through on goal and finished confidently past Verbruggen.

However, the Netherlands had the final say as substitute Crysencio Summerville capped the scoring late in the match, netting his second goal of the tournament to complete a comprehensive 5-1 triumph.

The match was attended by several notable guests, including two crew members from the historic Artemis II lunar mission, highlighting Houston’s longstanding connection to space exploration.

The victory leaves the Netherlands in a strong position to secure a place in the last 32, while Sweden must now regroup ahead of a crucial clash with Japan.

The Dutch will face Tunisia in their final group fixture.