World Cup 2026: Netherlands sweep Sweden aside 5-1
Brobbey and Gakpo turn Houston orange
In the World Cup 2026 group stage, the Netherlands brushed Sweden aside 5-1 at the NRG Stadium in Houston. It was a thumping, controlled afternoon under cloudy skies and a sticky 30°C, settled almost before Sweden had taken a breath.
Brian Brobbey scored twice inside the opening 17 minutes, then Cody Gakpo took over with a quickfire double early in the second half. Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sweden, but it changed nothing. Crysencio Summerville added a fifth late on to round off the scoring.
The numbers backed the scoreline. The Netherlands posted 2.61 expected goals (xG, a measure of chance quality) to Sweden's 1.01, and had seven shots on target to Sweden's eight despite near-level possession of 51% to 49%. Sweden created and shot plenty; they simply could not match the Dutch ruthlessness in front of goal. The result lifts the Netherlands to the top of Group F on seven points, with Sweden third on four — both through to the Round of 32.
How Koeman and Potter set them out
Bench (14)
23 Flekken · 13 Roefs · 25 Hato · 5 Aké · 2 Geertruida · 12 Wieffer · 16 Til · 7 Kluivert · 3 de Roon · 20 Koopmeiners · 24 Summerville · 10 Depay · 17 Lang · 9 Weghorst
Bench (15)
1 Widell Zetterström · 12 Johansson · 15 Starfelt · 14 Ekdal · 20 Smith · 22 Zeneli · 8 Svensson · 24 Stroud · 6 Johansson · 13 Sema · 7 Bergvall · 19 Svanberg · 26 Abdi Ali · 11 Elanga · 25 Nilsson
From a fifth-minute jolt to a five-goal stroll
The Netherlands needed only five minutes. Gakpo teed up Brobbey for the opener, and on 17 minutes Denzel Dumfries crossed for Brobbey's second. Two goals, no real warning.
The interval brought a Dutch change as Summerville replaced Donyell Malen, and within a minute of the restart Gakpo had the third, again from a Dumfries assist. On 54 minutes Summerville turned provider for Gakpo's fourth. Graham Potter reshuffled — Elanga among a wave of substitutions — and the change brought reward on 59 minutes, Elanga finishing an Alexander Isak pass.
Sweden's afternoon grew ragged after that, picking up yellow cards for Gabriel Gudmundsson, Yasin Ayari and Lucas Bergvall. The Netherlands rotated freely, and it was substitute Memphis Depay who set up Summerville for the fifth on 89 minutes to complete the rout.
B. Brobbey
Assist C. Gakpo
Goal
⚽5’B. Brobbey
Assist C. Gakpo
Goal
B. Brobbey
Assist D. Dumfries
Goal
⚽17’B. Brobbey
Assist D. Dumfries
Goal
↑ C. Summerville
↓ D. Malen
Substitution
🔄46’↑ C. Summerville
↓ D. Malen
Substitution
C. Gakpo
Assist D. Dumfries
Goal
⚽47’C. Gakpo
Assist D. Dumfries
Goal
G. Gudmundsson
Yellow card
🟨53’G. Gudmundsson
Yellow card
C. Gakpo
Assist C. Summerville
Goal
⚽54’C. Gakpo
Assist C. Summerville
Goal
↑ A. Elanga
↓ A. Bernhardsson
Substitution
🔄55’↑ A. Elanga
↓ A. Bernhardsson
Substitution
↑ B. Zeneli
↓ J. Karlstrom
Substitution
🔄56’↑ B. Zeneli
↓ J. Karlstrom
Substitution
↑ L. Bergvall
↓ B. Nygren
Substitution
🔄56’↑ L. Bergvall
↓ B. Nygren
Substitution
A. Elanga
Assist A. Isak
Goal
⚽59’A. Elanga
Assist A. Isak
Goal
↑ T. Koopmeiners
↓ F. de Jong
Substitution
🔄59’↑ T. Koopmeiners
↓ F. de Jong
Substitution
↑ G. Til
↓ T. Reijnders
Substitution
🔄59’↑ G. Til
↓ T. Reijnders
Substitution
↑ M. Depay
↓ B. Brobbey
Substitution
🔄72’↑ M. Depay
↓ B. Brobbey
Substitution
Y. Ayari
Yellow card
🟨75’Y. Ayari
Yellow card
↑ T. Ali
↓ Y. Ayari
Substitution
🔄79’↑ T. Ali
↓ Y. Ayari
Substitution
L. Bergvall
Yellow card
🟨80’L. Bergvall
Yellow card
C. Summerville
Assist M. Depay
Goal
⚽89’C. Summerville
Assist M. Depay
Goal
↑ N. Lang
↓ C. Gakpo
Substitution
🔄90’↑ N. Lang
↓ C. Gakpo
Substitution
↑ E. Stroud
↓ G. Gudmundsson
Substitution
🔄90+3’↑ E. Stroud
↓ G. Gudmundsson
Substitution
The right winner, the wrong scoreline
The futbol.so community leaned towards the Netherlands, and so did the official forecast, which made the Dutch clear favourites. On the winner, then, the call was spot on.
The margin was another matter. The most-chosen scoreline among the community was a narrow Netherlands 1-0, a long way short of the 5-1 that actually unfolded. Among national pockets, Colombia's followers echoed that tight 1-0, while Argentina's were split and even tilted towards a Sweden win. Nobody quite saw a Dutch landslide coming — and the official model's own headline forecast happened to land exactly on 5-1.
- Argentina
- Colombia
Official forecast: 5-1
Video highlights
HIGHLIGHTS - Netherlands v Sweden | Attacking masterclass! | FIFA World Cup 2026
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Crysencio Summerville Goal | Netherlands 5-1 Sweden | FIFA World Cup 2026™
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Netherlands vs. Sweden Reaction: Can the Dutch compete with the best in the world? | ESPN FC
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Oranje Army vibes are HIGH ahead of the match against Sweden 🇳🇱
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Netherlands Train Before Sweden | FIFA World Cup 2026™
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Netherlands On Playing Sweden | Ronald Koeman & Jan Paul Van Hecke Answer Questions
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Sweden On Playing Netherlands | Graham Potter & Victor Lindelöf Take Questions
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Sweden Train Before Netherlands | FIFA World Cup 2026™
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
No geo restrictionWorld Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
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World Cup: Netherlands vs Sweden
No geo restrictionA statement afternoon, then. The Netherlands have qualified as Group F leaders and look the part; Sweden, despite the heavy defeat, edge through as one of the better third-placed sides and live to fight in the Round of 32. Plenty for Graham Potter to ponder before the knockouts.
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