Netherlands rout Sweden 5-1 in Houston to move closer to knockout stage

HOUSTON: Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey scored two goals each as the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 on Saturday, a result that pushed Ronald Koeman's side to the top of Group F and left them on the verge of reaching the knockout rounds.

The Dutch, who had been held to a 2-2 draw by Japan in their opening match, moved onto four points from two games. Sweden stayed on three points after suffering their first defeat of the tournament, while Japan had one point and Tunisia none ahead of their later meeting in Monterrey, Mexico.

The match was played in front of nearly 69,000 spectators in Houston, where King Willem-Alexander was among those in attendance. Two crew members from the Artemis II lunar mission were also present as VIP guests, reflecting Houston's association with space flight.

Fast Dutch start

Brobbey, the Sunderland striker, was handed his first start of the tournament and justified Koeman's decision with goals in the fifth and 17th minutes. Before this game, the 24-year-old had scored only once for the national team since making his debut three years ago.

The opening goal came after a move involving goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Gakpo. Brobbey exchanged passes with the Liverpool forward before Gakpo sent in a low cross from the left, allowing Brobbey to finish from close range.

Brobbey added the second 12 minutes later when a deflected cross from Denzel Dumfries on the right dropped kindly for him and he poked the ball past Kristoffer Nordfeldt. Sweden struggled to deal with his physical presence, while their forward line, led by Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres, found few openings early on.

Sweden miss chances as Dutch take control

As the game began to slip away from Sweden, coach Graham Potter was seen consulting his staff and later spoke to left-sided defender Gabriel Gudmundsson during a hydration break as Dumfries and Donyell Malen caused repeated problems down that flank.

Sweden did create chances before halftime. Gyokeres delivered a cross for an unmarked Yasin Ayari, who failed to control the ball with his chest. Gyokeres then missed another opening after being played through by Isak. Verbruggen was also called into action as both Gyokeres and Ayari had further efforts denied, with the Netherlands under pressure by the end of the first half.

Gakpo scores twice after the interval

Koeman introduced Crysencio Summerville for Malen at the break, and the Netherlands struck again two minutes into the second half. Dumfries again supplied a dangerous low ball and Gakpo converted from close range to make it 3-0. The fourth followed on 54 minutes when Gakpo turned inside his marker and drove a low shot into the bottom corner.

Sweden pulled one back five minutes later through substitute Anthony Elanga, the Nottingham Forest winger breaking clear and finishing past Verbruggen. But the Dutch had the final say, with West Ham winger Summerville scoring late on for his second goal of the tournament in North America.

Despite the heavy loss, Sweden still have a realistic chance of advancing to the last 32. Their next game is against Japan, while the Netherlands will face Tunisia.