Netherlands Dominate Sweden 5-1: Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey Shine, Hitting Graham Potter's World Cup Dreams Hard

DUTCH fans took over Houston and their team seized control of Group F.

The city’s baseball team also play in orange so locals joined the Holland hordes in numbers.

Brian Brobbey scored a 12-minute brace to give the Netherlands a 2-0 lead in the early stages Credit: AP Cody Gakpo also scored twice after half-time Credit: Getty

And hours after the Astros blew away the Cleveland Guardians in their MLB clash at Daikin Park, Ronald Koeman’s side reached first base in their World Cup by romping to victory at the NFL stadium down the road.

With a game against Tunisia to come, Holland should be confident of winning the group.

In their opening game against Japan, they had paid the price for an unimpressive display at both ends of the pitch with a last-minute equaliser for their opponents.

This time, the ruthlessness of Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo in front of goal at the start of both halves was too much for Sweden.

Boss Graham Potter will take comfort from some aspects of his team’s performance.

The Swedes were the better team after going 2-0 down and still kept fighting after Gakpo put the Dutch in total control.

Anthony Elanga pulled one back, but there was to be no dramatic recovery and Sweden will have to defend much better in their final match against Japan.

Holland, too, looked flaky at the back at times. But substitute Crysencio Summerville’s late fifth set the seal on an excellent attacking display.

Brobbey scored twice on his first World Cup start Credit: Reuters

There was already plenty at stake, even in the second game of a World Cup

Both teams knew the probable punishment for finishing as runners up would be a last 32 clash against Brazil, in this same stadium.

Sweden held the advantage after their crushing win over Tunisia and Potter stuck with the same 11.

In truth, there are few easy options if you get out of Group F, but avoiding Carlo Ancelotti’s men would be a bonus.

Especially for Dutch boss Ronald Koeman, whose last international game as a player was a defeat by Brazil in the quarter finals of USA 1994.

Koeman made one change from the Japan game, bringing in Brobbey to play as a proper target man, moving Donyell Malen wide and leaving Summerville on the bench.

Anthony Elanga got one back for Sweden on this hour mark – but it proved to be just a consolation Credit: Reuters

After five minutes, the Sunderland striker did exactly what his manager must have hoped.

After holding up the ball in the centre circle and laying it off to Tijjani Reijnders, Brobbey charged into the box.

Reijnders played in Gakpo, who crossed into the corridor of uncertainty behind the Swedish centre backs, and the big man did the rest.

Sweden almost responded immediately from the restart, but Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen won his Premier League duel with Gyokeres by keeping out a shot from the angle with his legs.

Holland looked the more menacing, though, with Gakpo close to latching on to a Denzel Dumfries cross.

Moments later, Brobbey did just that.

Again, he got on the wrong side of Swedish backline and this time applied the faintest of touches to steer Dumfries’ delicious delivery inside the far post.

The Dutch were cruising and the first Mexican wave came before the first, utterly unnecessary, hydration break.

But a hit of an isotonic drink – it means it’s in balance with your body fluids – seemed to reinvigorate the Swedes.

Jesper Karlstrom’s volley was blocked by team-mate Victor Lindelof’s head. Then Gyokeres sent in a brilliant cross for Yasin Ayari, the two-goal hero from the opening game, but the Brighton man failed to control it with his body and the chance was gone.

The Arsenal striker himself failed to make the most of a half-chance from Alexander Isak’s pass.

Potter’s team kept on coming. Gyokeres aimed for the far corner with a curling effort, but Verbruggen made a relatively routine save.

The game was open and entertaining. Gakpo and Malen at last renewed the Dutch threat, then Ayari was off target.

Sweden thought they had the goal they deserved near the end of the half.

But defender Gustav Lagerbielke had been offside before heading home. There was still time for Verbruggen to deny Gyokeres for a third time, this time from a free kick, and to get down well to push away Ayari’s effort.

The break broke Sweden’s momentum and the game went away from them in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

First Gakpo tapped in a Dumfries cross at the far post.

Then the Liverpool winger cut inside and struck a strong shot inside the near post with which, nevertheless, Kristoffer Nordfeldt might have done better.

Fair play to Potter’s team, they did not give up. Ayari once more fired just over the bar before substitute Elanga outpaced the Dutch defence and produced a fine finish.

The Newcastle winger collected the ball urgently. There was still half an hour to go.

Brobbey was taken off for the final quarter of the game, presumably to save his energy to be unleashed against Japan.

Isak forced a decent late save from Verbruggen, having been much the quieter of Sweden’s front two.

Summerville rubbed salt in the wound with a fifth for Holland, who could yet make a big noise at this World Cup.