An early double from Brian Brobbey, two more in the second half for Cody Gakpo and a late goal from Crysencio Summerville helped the Netherlands cruise to an impressive 5-1 win over Sweden at the World Cup on Saturday (Jun 20).

The Dutch delivered the performance coach Ronald Koeman had demanded after conceding near the end of regulation in a disappointing opening 2-2 draw against Japan and underlined the team's credentials as among the favourites to go far in the tournament.

Koeman said he knew this was an important game, but the players' performance showed they did not feel the pressure after the opening draw.

"So there was more pressure to win this match. We knew it was a must-win," Koeman said. “But I didn't feel any tension. As a coach, you can feel how people are working after a first match like that and what the players' input is. Then you know things are on the right track.”

TWO GOALS IN OPENING 17 MINUTES

Brobbey - chosen ahead of record scorer Memphis Depay - repaid Koeman’s faith with two goals in the opening 17 minutes to give the Dutch the early initiative, and another two from Cody Gakpo in seven minutes after the break put the match out of reach.

His first came when he flicked the ball to Tijjani Reijnders, who found Gakpo racing down the left flank to set up the Sunderland striker for a tap-in.

Brobbey struck again when Denzel Dumfries swung in a perfectly weighted cross that he directed past Sweden goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt with an outstretched leg.

SLOPPY SWEDEN

After being criticised for how he used his bench against Japan, Koeman got it right against Sweden, also with his injection of Summerville, who scored one and had a hand in two others after entering the match in the second half.

The Swedes - full of optimism after crushing Tunisia 5-1 in their opening match - gave the ball away too easily and could not contain the Dutch attack.

Graham Potter's side played with more urgency following the first hydration break, but it was never good enough against a ruthless Dutch side who converted their chances.

Potter pledged his team would learn from the harsh result, acknowledging his side got off to a poor start from which they couldn't fight back despite creating opportunities once they were behind.

"They hurt us in the wide areas," Potter said. "The first goal was from a long ball we didn’t deal with very well. We got off to not a great start in the first period.

“It was one of those things we will learn a lot from. Sometimes you have to have these experiences. I didn’t think it was that kind of game, but we have to learn from it.”

Viktor Gyokeres presented the main danger for Sweden early on with a free kick and curling effort that tested Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Yasin Ayari had a chance to get Sweden back into the game, but could not control the ball with his chest with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Substitute Anthony Elanga pulled one back in the 59th minute of a free-flowing game, but it proved only a consolation for Sweden rather than sparking a fightback, and the Dutch rout was complete when Summerville slalomed his way to the edge of the box and finished neatly in the final minute.

The Netherlands top Group F with four points, and Sweden stayed on three after two matches.

Source: Reuters
– Agencies