- Full Time
- 93'E. Stroud on for G. Gudmundsson
- N. Lang on for C. Gakpo90'
- C. Summerville89'
- 80'L. Bergvall
- 79'T. Ali on for Y. Ayari
- 75'Y. Ayari
- M. Depay on for B. Brobbey72'
- G. Til on for T. Reijnders59'
- T. Koopmeiners on for F. de Jong59'
- 59'A. Elanga
- 56'L. Bergvall on for B. Nygren
- 56'B. Zeneli on for J. Karlström
- 55'A. Elanga on for A. Bernhardsson
- C. Gakpo54'
- 53'G. Gudmundsson
- C. Gakpo47'
- C. Summerville on for D. Malen46'
- Half Time
- B. Brobbey17'
- B. Brobbey5'
- Kick Off
-
1
Brian Brobbey2 - 2Cody Gakpo2
- 3
Anthony Elanga1
- 1Yasin Ayari5
- 2Viktor Gyökeres5
- 3Cody Gakpo5
- 1Gustaf Lagerbielke4
- 2Denzel Dumfries3
- 3Frenkie de Jong3
The Netherlands produced a dominant performance to beat Sweden in Group F on Saturday afternoon.
Braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo put Oranje into an unassailable lead and despite Anthony Elanga’s consolation, a Crysencio Summerville strike put the cherry on the cake for Ronald Koeman’s men.
It took less than five minutes for the deadlock to be broken. Brian Brobbey used his strength to hold off Isak Hien and feed in Cody Gakpo, before latching onto the Liverpool man’s low cross to fire his side into an early lead.
Viktor Gyokeres got loose of the Dutch defence just a few moments later and tested Bart Verbruggen with a low shot. The Brighton stopper was equal to the challenge on this occasion.
Instead, it was the Netherlands, and Brobbey, who doubled their tally. This time it was a low cross from the opposite side delivered from Denzel Dumfries and Brobbey’s outstretched leg touched the ball beyond Kristoffer Nordfeldt. That was the Netherlands’ 100th goal at World Cups.
Sweden came back into the game after the hydration break without making the breakthrough. Yasin Ayari flashed a long-range effort just over the bar, Gustaf Lagerbielke’s header was ruled out for offside and a low free-kick from Gyokeres was parried wide by Vergruggen. Ayari had one more attempt before the break, again drawing a smart stop from Verbruggen.
Instead, the Netherlands’ third came just moments into the second-half. It was another low cross from Denzel Dumfries, this time Cody Gakpo the man on the other end to seemingly finish off the contest.
And if that wasn’t enough to confirm the defeat for Sweden, Gakpo’s second was. The Liverpool forward cut inside Lagerbielke and lashed in at the near post after a Summerville pass. Game, set and match.
Anthony Elanga restored some form of hope for Sweden, racing clear of the Dutch defence and producing a calm, left-footed finish past Verbruggen to make it 4-1.
Blagult kept pushing. Ayari and Besfort Zeneli had further long-range efforts, while Alexander Isak also had a shot from outside the box that was pushed away by Verbruggen.
But rather than finding a second, they instead shipped a fifth. Crysencio Summerville, again providing a spark from the bench, arrowed a right-footed shot into the bottom corner after some fine interlinking play in the build-up.
That brought an end to a miserable afternoon for the Swedes in Houston. De Oranje on the other hand, are starting to look like bigger contenders than perhaps originally expected.
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