Netherlands demolish Sweden — are they contenders?

The performance

This wasn't a scrappy win dressed up by a late flurry. The Netherlands were in control from early on, with Gakpo pulling the strings in his familiar left-channel role and Brobbey doing what Brobbey does — running at defenders, winning headers he has no right to win, and finishing with the kind of composure that makes Ajax fans feel vindicated and Premier League scouts feel nervous they haven't moved yet.

Gakpo's double will travel well on the timeline. The Liverpool forward has spent the last two seasons being quietly excellent in a team that demands a lot from its wide men — here, with more licence, he looked like a player who's been waiting for exactly this kind of stage. Two goals and the sort of all-round display that reminds you he was one of the most wanted forwards in Europe not long ago.

Brobbey's evening was different in texture — more physical, more direct — but the end product was identical: two goals, a defence rattled, and a performance that will have managers across the Premier League pulling up clips on Sunday morning.

What it means for the Netherlands

A 5-1 scoreline at a World Cup group stage is not a number you ignore. It doesn't just win the game — it sends a message to every team watching from the other side of the draw. The Netherlands go top of Group F, and with this kind of goal difference already banked, the path to the knockout stages looks very comfortable indeed.

The bigger question — the one The Athletic is asking, the one every Dutch fan is quietly asking themselves — is whether this squad has the depth and the defensive solidity to go deep into a tournament. Ronald Koeman's side have the attacking pieces. Gakpo and Brobbey on this form, with the rest of the squad around them, gives the Netherlands a frontline that can hurt anyone.

Sweden, for their part, pulled one back to avoid a complete shutout, but this was a long evening in Texas and no scoreline flattered the Dutch.

The Premier League and La Liga angle

For fans who watch Gakpo week in, week out at Anfield, this was a reminder of what he looks like when the system is built around him rather than around him fitting into it. Two goals in a World Cup group game — on the biggest stage, against a decent European side — is the kind of form that cements a player's standing heading into a summer transfer window.

Brobbey, meanwhile, has been linked with a move away from Ajax for what feels like several consecutive transfer windows. Performances like this one don't exactly cool that speculation down. He looked every inch a top-level centre-forward on Friday night — and the world was watching.

The Netherlands have one eye on the knockout rounds already. After this, so does everyone else.