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Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo both struck twice as the Netherlands produced a dominant performance to defeat Sweden 5-1, registering their first win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Brobbey, who replaced Crysencio Summerville in the only change from the 2-2 draw against Japan, scored two goals inside the opening 17 minutes in Houston. His early brace marked the fourth-fastest in FIFA World Cup history. Sweden gradually settled into the contest and created several chances towards the end of the first half, but Gakpo took control after the break, scoring twice within seven minutes to put the Dutch firmly in charge. Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sweden just before the hour mark, but substitute Summerville added a late fifth goal for Ronald Koeman's side, who are now close to securing a place in the knockout stage. The Netherlands began emphatically, scoring in the fifth minute when Brobbey finished off a flowing move involving Tijjani Reijnders and Gakpo, who provided the assist from the left flank. Sweden responded through Viktor Gyokeres, who tested Bart Verbruggen, but Brobbey doubled his tally shortly after by converting Denzel Dumfries' cross with a close-range finish. The Dutch remained in control despite Sweden's efforts, with Gyokeres and others forcing several saves from Verbruggen, though they were unable to convert their pressure before half-time. After the restart, Gakpo extended the lead with a quick double--first tapping in another Dumfries cross and then finishing with a clever reverse strike past Kristoffer Nordfeldt. Graham Potter introduced Elanga after Sweden fell 4-0 behind, and the forward responded quickly by scoring after a fine pass from Alexander Isak. However, any hopes of a comeback were short-lived, as Summerville sealed the emphatic win with a superb late strike in the 89th minute as the Dutch side stayed in the knockout hunt. (ANI)
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