Ghanaian-born duo helped the Netherlands "take off" in Houston, leaving Sweden as 5-1 "victims"

Written by Han Bing. Swedish fans at Houston Stadium were anticipating the brilliance of two Premier League striking stars, Isak and Gyökeres, but the match was dominated by the two Ghanaian-born forwards of the opposition. Brobbey and Gakpo each netted twice, reducing Sweden, who had beaten Tunisia 5-1 in their first match, to a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the "Flying Dutchmen".

The two outstanding scorers helped the Netherlands become the eighth team to reach 100 World Cup goals. However, among these eight "World Cup centurion" teams, only the Netherlands has never won a world champion title.

Compared to the high-valued Isak and Gyökeres, Brobbey, who missed the World Cup's opening match, received little attention. The Ghanaian-born striker, who plays for Sunderland in the Premier League, scored only seven goals last season and was once described by Van Basten as "technically average." Before this match, Brobbey had only one goal for the Netherlands. After being held to a draw by Japan in the first round, the Dutch team was generally underestimated, while Isak and Gyökeres, returning from injury, proved that Sweden now had its most potent attacking duo since the Gunnar-Nordahl-Liedholm era of the 1950s.

Within the first 20 minutes, Brobbey, a product of Ajax's academy, scored a brace to instantly make the Netherlands the center of attention. In the 5th minute, Gakpo crossed from the left, and Brobbey slotted home, with the two Ghanaian-born wingers combining to give the Dutch a dream start. Twelve minutes later, Dumfries surged forward and delivered a cross from the right, and Brobbey again arrived to complete his double. Two minutes into the second half, the Dutch continued their lightning strikes—again a Dumfries cross, and although Brobbey missed his chance, Gakpo at the far post made it 3-0. Before Sweden could recover from the onslaught, Gakpo scored another brace in a counterattack seven minutes later. Although Elanga pulled one back for Sweden, Memphis's through ball to substitute Summerville sealed the 5-1 victory just before the final whistle.

This 5-1 triumph not only all but secured the Netherlands' advancement but also marked a milestone match for the Dutch in World Cup history.

Brobbey's second goal was the 100th in World Cup history for the Netherlands, inducting the Oranje into the "World Cup Century Club," trailing only Germany (243), Brazil (241), Argentina (155), France (139), Italy (128), Spain and England (108). Gakpo's second goal was also the 100th of this World Cup. After thrashing Spain 5-1 in the 2014 group stage, the Netherlands scored five goals in a World Cup match for the first time in 12 years. Since their World Cup debut in 1934, the Dutch have scored five goals in a single match only four times in 57 games, all in the group stage: 5-1 vs Austria in 1978, 5-0 vs Korea in 1998, 5-1 vs Spain in 2014, and now this. On the previous three occasions, the Netherlands reached at least the semi-finals, and in 1978 they even made the final.

Within the first 50 minutes of the match, the Netherlands achieved a brace by one player, a brace of assists by another, and a goal and assist by a third—a feat only previously matched by Poland in their 7-0 win over Haiti in 1974. Gakpo has now scored five goals in World Cup group stages across two tournaments, tying Van Persie for the most World Cup group-stage goals by a Dutch player. With six goal involvements in seven World Cup appearances, he is truly a super striker for the Netherlands. Four years ago, he scored in three consecutive group matches; this time he bagged a brace. Twelve years ago, the Netherlands also beat Spain 5-1, with Van Persie and Robben each scoring a brace, just like Brobbey and Gakpo did here.

At Euro 2024, Netherlands coach Koeman was criticized for not utilizing Brobbey effectively, but this time he gave him ample opportunity: "At Sunderland, his physicality improved significantly—he became stronger and sharper." Sunderland does not have a winger as sharp as Gakpo to assist Brobbey, but in the national team, they form a rare and efficient partnership in recent years. Dumfries' overlapping runs and crosses were also excellent; had his delivery not been slightly high, Brobbey could have completed a hat-trick as early as the first half.

Notably, Brobbey shot to fame overnight with his brace, but he was already known for being a World Cup sibling international. However, he and his brother Lakason, a center-back, are the only half-brothers among the seven sets of sibling internationals at this World Cup. Both originally opted for the Netherlands, but the elder brother, six years older, saw his Dutch national team career end at the U21 level a decade ago and was naturalized by the Ghana Football Association in March. If Ghana finishes second in their group, the brothers could face each other in the knockout stages.