HOUSTON — Fans at NRG Stadium arrived talking about Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres but left with Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo on their minds, according to the match report. The performance helped the Netherlands get their World Cup campaign back on track and eased some pressure on manager Ronald Koeman after a nervy opener.
Koeman faced scrutiny following a 2-2 draw with Japan in which his substitutions were blamed for a loss of initiative, territory and a lead, according to the report. He selected Brobbey ahead of Crysencio Summerville and shifted Donyell Malen to the right in a 4-3-3. Brobbey, making his first World Cup start in only his 14th international appearance, produced an all-action display.
Brobbey had scored only once for the national team before the match, but after 17 minutes he had added two more, the report said. The first arrived five minutes in when goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen launched a ball upfield. Brobbey outmuscled Isak Hien to reach it, Tijjani Reijnders fed Gakpo on the left, and Gakpo’s cross found Brobbey for a tap-in. Sweden head coach Graham Potter said Brobbey was “one of the strongest forwards back to goal,” and that challenge changed Sweden’s play.
The second goal came when Denzel Dumfries crossed from the right and Brobbey got the faintest of touches to steer the ball into the far corner. Koeman praised Brobbey’s fitness and development in the Premier League, noting he had grown sharper and fitter after limited playing time earlier in his career.
Sweden began to respond in the second quarter as Isak and Gyökeres combined and the team shifted to a back four; Gyökeres tested Verbruggen and Yasin Ayari missed a notable chance from a Gyökeres cross, the report said. Gustaf Lagerbielke thought he had halved the deficit before halftime with a header from Benjamin Nygren’s service, but the effort was ruled fractionally offside.
The match’s momentum was also affected by the tournament’s first hydration break, the report added, but the damage to Sweden had already been done in the early stages.
