- Netherlands vs Sweden: The Dutch dismantled Sweden 5-1 to secure their first victory of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
- Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey each scored twice, while Crysencio Summerville added the fifth goal. Anthony Elanga grabbed Sweden’s consolation strike.
- The Group F encounter was played at Houston Stadium on Saturday, June 20.
Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey each scored twice to inspire the Netherlands to their first 2026 FIFA World Cup victory, as they dismantled Sweden 5-1 at the Houston Stadium to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.
The Dutch side were coming off a disappointing Group F opener, where they were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan, and they needed to make a statement against Sweden, who had pummeled Tunisia 5-1 in their own opener as well.
Manager Ronald Koeman made one vital change, opting to bench Crysencio Summerville, who had started in the draw against Japan, and instead handed Brian Brobbey the lead attacking role. That decision paid off handsomely.
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Just five minutes into the game, Brobbey found the back of the net to give his side the lead.
The scorer initiated the move, flicking the ball to Tijjani Reijnders in midfield, who then played Gakpo down the left wing.
The Liverpool man flew down the flank and slid a perfect cross into the middle for the Sunderland forward, who made no mistake, thumping home his second international goal.
Twelve minutes later, Brobbey proved that despite Summerville’s solid showing against Japan, the new man was more than up to the task, as he smashed in the second to extend the Dutch lead.
He stretched to get his toe on a lovely low cross from Denzel Dumfries on the right side of the area, beating the keeper to his left and finding the bottom corner for his second of the day.
The hydration break arrived, greeted by boos from the fans, but in the end, it actually favored Sweden, who had been under pressure.
As we have seen so often, the Swedes came out of the pause with renewed energy, threading some sharp passes into the final third.
Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was called into action minutes later after Sweden shifted the ball to the left of the box, where Viktor Gyokeres lurked with intent.
He swept in a curling first time shot across goal, but it was a good height for Verbruggen, who parried it away diving to his left.
Despite Sweden creating some promising moments, they did manage to reduce the deficit in the 45th minute.
Gustaf Lagerbielke rose bravely to head a whipped cross from Benjamin Nygren’s free kick on the left, but Verbruggen could not get a fist to it.
His effort glanced into the unguarded net as he got clattered, but the flag went up, cutting their celebration short.
They earned another free kick just moments later, with Gyokeres whipping a shot to the right of the towering Dutch wall, but Verbruggen tracked it all the way and flopped to his left to push it away as the Netherlands went into the break with a commanding lead.
Koeman made changes just after the second half kickoff, with Summerville replacing Donyell Malen.
The substitute made an instant impact within two minutes, showing quick feet on the right side of the box before poking through to Denzel Dumfries, who slid in a low cross and put it on a platter for Gakpo at the back post to notch his first of the game.
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It was a moment to savor for the Liverpool man. Alexander Isak gifted possession away with a lackadaisical pass in the Dutch box, and the Netherlands broke at speed.
Summerville glided forward and slid the ball left to Gakpo, who advanced into the area before thumping a low shot inside the near post from an angle to bag his second of the day while also netting the 100th goal of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Just before the hour mark, Sweden pulled one back. Anthony Elanga had only been on the pitch for about five minutes but latched onto a brilliant through ball from Isak, raced away from the Dutch defense, and kept his composure to apply a superb finish past Verbruggen.
Sweden looked eager to mount a comeback, and despite scoring five in their opener, this match proved far more challenging. In the final minutes, Summerville off the bench put the finishing touch on the victory with a fifth goal, sealing the win in style.
Both sides will now look ahead. The Netherlands will aim to secure a Round of 32 ticket when they face Japan next Friday, while Sweden will seek a win against Tunisia on the same day.
Netherlands vs Sweden World Cup 2026 Group F lineups, Wednesday June 20
- Netherlands starting lineup: Bart Verbruggen, Denzel Dumfries, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Frenkie de Jong, Donyell Malen, Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo
- Sweden starting lineup: Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelof, Isak Hien, Jesper Karlstrom, Benjamin Nygren, Yasin Ayari, Alexander Bernhardsson, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak
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