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The Netherlands moved to the top of World Cup Group F on Saturday with a dominant 5-1 victory over Sweden at NRG Stadium, as Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo each scored twice in a performance that left their Scandinavian opponents reeling.
Brobbey opened the scoring inside five minutes, side-footing home from close range after a flowing move involving Tijjani Reijnders and Gakpo. He doubled his tally in the 17th minute, sliding in to convert a low cross from right back Denzel Dumfries, who finished the match with two assists of his own.
Sweden, who had thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in their opening match, briefly threatened a response before halftime.
Gustaf Lagerbielke had a header ruled out for offside after meeting a free kick delivery, and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was called into action to deny efforts from Viktor Gyokeres and Yasin Ayari. The Netherlands led 2-0 at the break.
Any hopes of a Swedish comeback faded quickly after the interval. Substitute Crysencio Summerville, who replaced Donyell Malen at halftime, set up Gakpo for a simple tap-in in the 47th minute.
The Liverpool forward struck again seven minutes later, taking a touch from a Summerville pass before drilling the ball into the bottom-left corner to make it 4-0.
Sweden did pull a goal back in the 59th minute when substitute Anthony Elanga collected a long throughball from Alexander Isak and finished coolly past Verbruggen. But the response proved to be little more than a consolation.
Summerville completed the rout in the 89th minute, driving forward from deep inside Swedish territory after a pass from fellow substitute Memphis Depay and finishing into the bottom-left corner.
The Netherlands' control was reflected in the underlying numbers, with their expected goals tally of 2.47 dwarfing Sweden's 0.98 across the match. Gakpo finished with two goals and an assist, Dumfries provided two assists, and Summerville contributed a goal and an assist of his own in what was, collectively, an attacking display few teams will want to face in this World Cup.
Brobbey's brace marked a breakout moment for the Sunderland striker, who had scored just once in his previous 13 appearances for the national team. Sweden, by contrast, saw the goal difference they built against Tunisia completely erased by the result.
The win leaves the Netherlands in a commanding position with one group match remaining, against Tunisia. Sweden, meanwhile, face a more uncertain finish to the group stage and will need a positive result against Japan in their final fixture. Referee Michael Oliver took charge of the match, which was played in front of a crowd at NRG Stadium.
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