Fans came to NRG stadium with the expectation of witnessing the performance of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, but when the match ended, the names that remained most were Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.
The 5-1 victory over Sweden not only brought the Netherlands' 2026 World Cup campaign back on track but also helped coach Ronald Koeman somewhat reduce the increasing pressure after the disappointing draw against Japan in the opening match.
Koeman's personnel decisions were scrutinized very carefully after the Netherlands lost the victory over Japan despite taking the lead twice. His substitutions were said to have caused the team to lose control of the game and lose the advantage.
Therefore, many people were surprised when Koeman decided to remove Crysencio Summerville from the starting lineup, even though this player had just scored a beautiful goal in the previous match. Instead, Brian Brobbey was given a chance to start while Donyell Malen was pulled to the right wing in the familiar 4-3-3 system.
And that decision brought unexpected results.
This is the first time Brobbey has started at the World Cup and only the 14th time wearing the Dutch national team jersey. Before the match, he had only scored a goal for Oranje. In just the first 17 minutes, the Sunderland striker scored 2 more goals, completely shocking the Swedish defense.
That seemed to be the moment that helped Koeman prove his choices were right. However, the Dutch strategist still maintained a calm attitude after the match.
He said that all decisions are based on tactical plans and what the coaching staff predicts they will face. According to Koeman, Brobbey is more suitable for the approach that the Netherlands wants to deploy against Sweden.
Brobbey's opening goal came after a textbook combination. From Bart Verbruggen's long pass, this striker took the lead in a challenge with Isak Hien before combining with Tijjani Reijnders and Cody Gakpo and then rushing down to finish from close range.
The second goal further demonstrated Brobbey's agility when he delicately touched the ball from Denzel Dumfries' cross to put the ball into the far corner.
After the match, Koeman praised his student's progress. He said that his time playing in the Premier League helped Brobbey mature both physically and in playing thinking. From a player who was once doubted in his ability to maintain fitness for 90 minutes, Brobbey has now become a much more complete striker.
After the break, Sweden rallied strongly when Isak and Gyokeres began to find common ground in attack. The Northern European team created some notable opportunities and even put the ball into the Netherlands' net, but Gustaf Lagerbielke's goal was disallowed for offside.
However, all of Sweden's efforts were quickly extinguished after the break. Summerville was brought on to replace Malen and immediately made his mark. He was the one who initiated the situation leading to the third goal of the Netherlands, before Cody Gakpo completed his double with two consecutive goals.
Anthony Elanga scored a consolation goal for Sweden, but Summerville was still the one who closed the perfect night of Oranje with a beautiful finish from outside the penalty area.
Notably, Memphis Depay only played about the last 18 minutes of the match, but the Netherlands still completely overwhelmed the opponent. This shows that Oranje no longer depends too much on this veteran striker as many people worried before the tournament.
