The Netherlands stormed to the summit of Group F following a convincing 5-1 victory over Sweden at Houston Stadium. Braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo secured the three points for the Oranje, allowing them to leapfrog their European opponents in the group standings.

Sweden found themselves playing catch-up from the opening whistle. Inside the first five minutes, Brobbey slammed home an inviting cross from Gakpo to open the scoring. The forward added his second just 12 minutes later, sliding in to divert a low center from Denzel Dumfries into the back of the net.

Sweden attempted to mount a response before the interval and thought they had pulled a goal back when Gustaf Lagerbielke converted a brave header. However, the ensuing celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

Any hopes of a Swedish comeback faded quickly after the restart as Gakpo scored a quickfire double within eight minutes of the second half. The forward first converted from close range before cutting inside to crash a trademark drive into the net from the edge of the penalty area, extending the Dutch lead to 4-0.

Substitute Anthony Elanga offered Sweden a brief moment of hope by pulling a goal back with a superb breakaway effort. However, the Netherlands restored their four-goal cushion late in the game when Crysencio Summerville struck an emphatic right-footed shot as the clock ticked down.

The defeat drops Graham Potter’s side to second place in Group F, sitting one point behind the Dutch ahead of the remaining group fixture between Japan and Tunisia.