HOUSTON, Texas — The Netherlands delivered one of the most commanding performances of the FIFA World Cup so far, overwhelming Sweden, 5-1, on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) to storm to the top of Group F and strengthen its bid for a place in the knockout stage.
Powered by an early attacking blitz from Brian Brobbey and a second-half masterclass from Cody Gakpo, the Dutch dismantled Sweden before a crowd at NRG Stadium, collecting four points from two matches and taking control of the group standings.
The Netherlands imposed its will from the opening whistle, with Brobbey striking twice in the first 17 minutes to put Sweden on the back foot.
Brobbey opened the scoring in the fifth minute after finishing a low delivery from Gakpo. The Dutch forward doubled the lead shortly afterward, converting another dangerous cross into the penalty area to give his side a commanding advantage.
Sweden appeared to have found a lifeline before halftime when Gustaf Lagerbielke headed home from a set piece, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a review.
Any hopes of a Swedish recovery vanished moments after the restart.
Gakpo took center stage in the second half, scoring in the 47th minute after a penetrating attack down the left flank before adding another goal eight minutes later on a swift counterattack to stretch the lead to 4-0.
Sweden finally broke through in the 59th minute when Anthony Elanga connected with a pass from Alexander Isak and beat Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen for the team’s lone goal.
The Dutch, however, never eased off the pressure.
Substitute Crysencio Summerville completed the rout late in the match, unleashing a strike from outside the box to cap a dominant five-goal performance.
The victory lifted the Netherlands to four points after drawing Japan in its opening match, while Sweden remained on three points after suffering its first defeat of the tournament.
In Toronto, Germany booked its place in the Round of 32 after substitute Deniz Undav scored twice, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner, to lift the Germans past Ivory Coast, 2-1.
Germany looked headed for an upset after Franck Kessié put Ivory Coast ahead in the 30th minute.
But tactical adjustments after halftime changed the complexion of the match as substitutes Nadiem Amiri and Undav combined for the equalizer in the 68th minute.
With the match seemingly destined for a draw, Undav struck deep into stoppage time to complete the comeback and secure Germany’s second straight victory of the tournament.
Elsewhere, Brazil blanked Haiti, 3-0; the United States defeated Australia, 2-0; Morocco edged Scotland, 1-0; Paraguay nipped Turkiye, 1-0; while Ecuador and Curacao settled for a scoreless draw./PN
