▲ Cody Gakpo celebrates after scoring the team's fourth goal during the World Cup Group F match in Houston, USA, on June 20 (local time).
The Netherlands has secured its first win of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup after a dominant victory over Sweden.
On June 21 (KST), the Netherlands claimed a 5-1 victory against Sweden in their second Group F match held at Houston Stadium in Houston, Texas, led by "dual multi-goal" performances from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo.
Having settled for a 2-2 draw against Asian powerhouse Japan in their opening match, the Netherlands secured their first win of the tournament against Sweden, rising to the top of the group with 4 points.
The Netherlands, which has finished as the World Cup runner-up three times, is now aiming for its first-ever title.
According to sports media outlet ESPN, the Netherlands set a new record for the longest unbeaten streak in World Cup history with 14 matches following today's victory.
Since losing 0-1 in the final of the 2010 South Africa tournament, the Netherlands has recorded 10 wins and 4 draws in 14 World Cup final matches.
However, those 4 draws include penalty shootout losses to Argentina in the 2014 Brazil tournament semifinals and the 2022 Qatar tournament quarterfinals.
Penalty shootouts are officially recorded as draws.
The Netherlands did not qualify for the 2018 Russia tournament.
The previous record for the longest unbeaten streak was held by Brazil, which went 13 matches without a loss between 1958 and 1966.
With this loss, Sweden now holds a record of one win and one loss, dropping to second place in the group (3 points).
They could fall to third depending on the result of the upcoming Japan-Tunisia match.
Sweden's striker duo, Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres, who led their 5-1 victory against Tunisia in the first match by both scoring, started again but failed to find the net.
The Netherlands took an early lead in the first half with Brobbey's multi-goal performance, signaling a comfortable victory.
Just 5 minutes into the match, Brobbey scored the opener by finishing a low cross from Gakpo with a right-footed one-touch shot. Twelve minutes later, he connected with a cross from Denzel Dumfries on the right, sliding to tap the ball into the net for his second goal.
In the second half, Gakpo continued the Netherlands' goal spree.
The Netherlands created their third goal with another sharp cross.
In the 2nd minute of the second half, Gakpo rushed in to meet a cross from Dumfries on the right, finding the back of the net.
Seven minutes later, Gakpo skillfully dribbled past a defender in the left side of the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot to make it 4-0.
Sweden managed to pull one back in the 14th minute of the second half when Anthony Elanga, receiving a pass from Isak during a counterattack, used his speed to bypass three defenders and finish with a left-footed shot.
However, they could not score again, and instead conceded another goal in the 44th minute of the second half from a sharp right-footed shot by the Netherlands' Crysencio Summerville from near the penalty arc, resulting in a crushing defeat.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.