Netherlands 5-1 Sweden The Netherlands produced a clinical attacking display to overwhelm Sweden 5-1 in Houston on Saturday, securing their first victory of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and moving to the top of Group F. The emphatic win puts the Dutch firmly in control of their qualification hopes ahead of the final round of group matches and temporarily sends them to the summit of the standings before Japan's clash with Tunisia later in the day. The Netherlands made a dream start, opening the scoring inside five minutes. A slick team move carved open the Swedish defence before Brian Brobbey calmly applied the finishing touch to give The Oranje an early advantage. The Dutch continued to dominate and doubled their lead before the midway point of the first half. Denzel Dumfries surged down the right flank and delivered a dangerous cross that took a slight deflection on its way into the box, with Brobbey getting the faintest of touches to steer the ball beyond the goalkeeper for his second goal of the afternoon. Despite the setback, Sweden gradually found their rhythm and began to threaten. Graham Potter's side thought they had halved the deficit just before halftime when Gustaf Lagerbielke powered home a header from a set piece. However, celebrations were cut short after the defender was ruled offside, leaving the Dutch with a comfortable two-goal cushion at the break. Just as they had done in the opening half, the Netherlands emerged from the dressing room with purpose and intensity. Their positive approach was quickly rewarded as Cody Gakpo struck twice in quick succession to effectively put the game beyond Sweden's reach. The Liverpool forward first converted from close range after a well-worked attacking move before adding his second moments later with a clever finish at the near post to make it 4-0. To their credit, Sweden refused to capitulate and pulled a goal back through Anthony Elanga, whose finish offered the Scandinavian side a rare bright moment in an otherwise difficult afternoon. But the Netherlands would have the final say. Substitute Crysencio Summerville capped a dominant display when he cut inside and fired a precise effort into the corner from the edge of the penalty area with only minutes remaining, restoring the four-goal advantage and completing a resounding 5-1 victory. The result leaves the Netherlands in a strong position heading into their final Group F fixture against Tunisia on Friday, while Sweden face an uphill battle to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive. With their attacking stars finding top form and confidence growing with every match, the Dutch have firmly announced themselves as serious contenders as the World Cup gathers momentum.
