The Netherlands crushed Sweden in a Group F match at the 2026 World Cup
On June 20, the Netherlands national team secured a convincing victory over Sweden in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup in Group F, effectively dominating the entire match and strengthening its position in the group.
The Swedes came into the match on the heels of a resounding 5–1 victory over Tunisia. A win against the “Orange” would have guaranteed them a spot in the Round of 16. The Dutch, however, who had dropped points in their match against Japan (2–2), could no longer afford any mistakes.
In this match, Ronald Koeman’s team converted their territorial advantage into an early goal just five minutes in. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen started the attack with a long pass; Cody Gakpo picked up the ball and crossed it to Brian Brobbey, who finished the play with a precise shot—1–0.
In the 17th minute, the Dutch doubled their lead. Denzel Dumfries broke through down the right flank and sent a low cross into the box, where Brobbey skillfully directed the ball into the far corner, scoring his second goal—2–0.
Toward the end of the half, Sweden regained the initiative thanks to efforts by Yassin Ayari and Viktor Djokeres. In the 45th minute, the Scandinavians even scored off a set piece, but English referee Michael Oliver disallowed the goal due to an offside call on Gustav Lagerbäck.
In stoppage time, the Swedes launched a full-scale assault: first, Dökéresh fired a tricky shot from a free kick, and a moment later, Ayari aimed for the near post. In both instances, goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen saved the Netherlands’ goal with lightning-fast reflexes.
The second half began with a tactical substitution by Ronald Koeman: Crisencio Summerville replaced Doniel Malen and immediately became the driving force behind the Dutch counterattacks.
As early as the 47th minute, Summerville sent Dumfries on a run, and he found Cody Gakpo at the far post—3–0.
In the 54th minute, the same duo set up the fourth goal: Summerville launched a swift attack, and Gakpo cut in from the left corner of the penalty area and fired into the near corner, completing his brace—4–0.
The Swedish coaching staff tried to salvage the game with a triple substitution, bringing on Anthony Elanga, Lukas Bergwall, and Besfort Zeneli. The move paid off almost immediately. In the 59th minute, Alexander Isak sliced through the Dutch defense with a filigree pass, and the fresh-off-the-bench Elanga broke away for a one-on-one with Verbruggen and coolly converted his chance—4–1.
But late in the match, the Dutch capitalized on another opponent’s mistake and pushed the score to an embarrassing margin. Substitute Memphis Depay found Chrisensio Summerville with a gorgeous pass. The player sprinted toward the penalty area and, with a low, precise shot, placed the ball right into the corner of Sweden’s net—5–1.
Summerville’s brilliant performance—scoring a goal and providing two assists after coming off the bench—finally put the game out of reach.
With this victory, the Netherlands earned 4 points and took the lead in Group F. Sweden is currently in second place with 3 points. Japan and Tunisia will also play in the second round—that match kicks off at 7:00 a.m. Kyiv time.
In the final round, the Netherlands will face Tunisia, and Sweden will face Japan. The matches are scheduled for June 26 and will kick off simultaneously at 2:00 a.m. Kyiv time.
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Brazil and Morocco earned crucial points at the 2026 World Cup
