Oranje beat Zweden 5-1 in Netherlands vs Sweden in Houston and moved to the verge of the knockout phase at the World Cup. Brian Brobbey scored twice, including the opener in the fifth minute, and Cody Gakpo also finished with two goals.
Brobbey Strikes Early
Brobbey set the tone when Bart Verbruggen drove a long ball forward in the fifth minute and the striker finished for 1-0. About a quarter of the match later, Denzel Dumfries supplied the cross for Brobbey’s second goal, and Oranje had a two-goal cushion before Zweden found its footing.
Ronald Koeman started Brobbey at center forward instead of Donyell Malen, pushed Malen to the right wing and dropped Crysencio Summerville from the starting side. That reshuffle gave Oranje a cleaner focal point in the box, and Brobbey rewarded it with the first two goals.
Gakpo Finishes The Job
After halftime, Summerville helped set up Gakpo for Oranje’s third goal, turning the match further in Oranje’s favor. Anthony Elanga later pulled one back for Zweden to make it 4-1, but the response never stopped Oranje from closing out the game at 5-1.
Gustav Lagerbielke also had a headed goal ruled out for offside, one of the few moments when Zweden came close to changing the rhythm of the night. Graham Potter had already altered Zweden’s shape during the drink break, shifting from two strikers to one with Victor Gyökeres as the lone advanced attacker and Alexander Isak as a midfielder.
Oranje And Zweden
The scoreline left Oranje almost certain of a place in the knockout phase, even though the match was not flawless. Oranje looked sharp in the final third, but it also let Zweden back into the game at times after the first two goals, which keeps the warning light on despite the margin.
After the final whistle, the line that followed Brobbey into the night said enough: “Alle ballen op Brobbey.”
