Houston: At the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Houston on Sunday, the Netherlands defeated Sweden 5-1 with a brutal attacking display to take first place in Group F.
Sweden was left chasing shadows for the majority of the match as the Dutch converted a much-anticipated European match into a one-sided encounter with braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, IANS reported.
The Oranje made a dream start, taking the lead in the fifth minute when Brobbey arrived to finish a dangerous delivery from Gakpo. The Dutch striker struck again 12 minutes later, sliding home from close range after a low cross from Denzel Dumfries carved open the Swedish defence.
Sweden attempted to fight their way back into the game and enjoyed spells of pressure before the break, but they were unable to find a way past a disciplined Dutch backline.
Any hopes of a Swedish comeback disappeared soon after halftime as Gakpo took centre stage. The Liverpool forward made it 3-0 in the 47th minute with a composed finish before adding his second goal seven minutes later, cutting inside and unleashing a powerful strike to put the Netherlands firmly in control.
The victory lifts the Netherlands above Sweden into first place in Group F, strengthening their position in the race for the knockout stages. Sweden, meanwhile, drops to second and will need a positive response in their remaining fixtures to keep their qualification hopes firmly on track.
Goals: Netherlands – Brian Brobbey (5’, 17’), Cody Gakpo (47’, 54’), Crysencio Summerville (89’); Sweden – Anthony Elanga (59’).
Germany cruises past Ivory Coast 2-1
Deniz Undav came off the bench in the second half and scored a brace to see Germany come from behind and advance to the knockouts with a 2-1 win over Cote d'Ivoire in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match here at Toronto Stadium on Sunday (IST).
That was absolutely thrilling from start to finish, with Deniz Undav coming off the bench to turn the game on its head. Côte d'Ivoire were 1-0 up when Undav was introduced on the hour. Within eight minutes, he'd equalised and went on to hit a last-gasp winner.
With his brace, Undav now has nine goals from his last eight Germany caps.
Ivory Coast hung in though, and sucker-punched the four-time champions down the other end. The ever-dangerous Yan Diomande burst down the left and put in a low cross which fell to the feet of Amad Diallo. While Nathaniel Brown made a block, he couldn't prevent Kessie from tucking home the rebound.
The Africans held their own at the start of the second half, forcing Julian Nagelsmann to shuffle his pack. He called upon Nadiem Amiri and Undav on the hour and just eight minutes later the former sent an inch-perfect cross for the latter to head in the leveller.
Germany will now wait for Curaçao-Ecuador to see whether they will be confirmed as section winners, but are already assured – at worst – of progressing as one of the eight best third-place teams.