2026 World Cup: Netherlands wallop Sweden 5-1
The Netherlands had a resounding 5-1 victory over Sweden on Saturday in their second Group F match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, United States.
The first half belonged to Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey, who scored a brace: the first goal in the fifth minute and the second in the 17th minute for the Netherlands.
In the second half, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo netted his own brace with goals in the 47th and 54th minutes.
However, Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sunderland in the 59th minute, but Crysencio Summerville restored the four-goal cushion in the 89th minute.
The Netherlands now lead the group with four points, one point ahead of second-placed Sweden.
Japan, which still have one point after one game, will on Sunday face Tunisia, with no points, in their second group game.
Speaking at the post-match conference, the Netherlands ‘ coach, Ronald Koeman, said, “In that first goal was everything you want, we know that Brian is good at that. It starts with Bart Verbruggen, who puts him away well. And then we have a lot of speed, and Brian is again in front of the goal. You can’t make a more perfect goal, starting from the goalkeeper.
“A great result, but enough moments in which we say: that could be better. Then you play a complete match. And this match was almost like that. Despite the 5-1 victory, you do see moments that if they start playing differently, it takes us too much time to recognise that, which meant we got into a little too much trouble before the break.”
Sweden coach Graham Potter said, “We lost to the better team, for sure. The scoreline’s a little harsh on us, but sometimes that happens in football, especially with the quality of the opponent we face.
“We got off to not a good start, which then puts you behind in the game and then affects the mood. After the first break, we thought we did really well. We adjusted things a little bit, which made it better for us.
“I thought we had some good opportunities, shots. But they were more clinical. Their finishes were more deadly, shall we say, and ours were probably not quite, which can happen. We’ll cling to the positives, and there will be some positives there, but at the same time, we also have to make sure we defend better than we did.”
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