HOUSTON — Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said their 5-1 win over Sweden on Saturday sends a warning message to their World Cup rivals. The dominant victory came on the same day his side broke a tournament record.
The statement win means Netherlands now boast the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history at 14 matches.
Oranje haven’t lost since the 2010 final against Spain (with penalty shootouts recorded as draws).
The previous record, which Netherlands equaled in their opening 2-2 draw against Japan, was held by Brazil with 13 games between 1958 and 1966.
It didn’t take them long to find their feet here. Brian Brobbey’s quick-fire brace put the Dutch up 2-0 at halftime against Sweden before Cody Gakpo scored twice to extend their lead.
Substitute Anthony Elanga netted a consolation goal for Sweden but Crysencio Summerville came off the bench to complete the scoring as Sweden were condemned to their biggest World Cup defeat since 1950.
Netherlands bounced back impressively from drawing their opening Group F game with Japan and sit top of the table on four points.
“It could be that the way we play builds confidence. Of course there was a lot of pressure on the team, especially because of the draw because of the first game, but now we have slightly more peace of mind with four months,” Koeman said.
“There is one game within the group phase, and you can build on what happened now. That was really good. Other teams know we can be dangerous.”
Koeman was criticized for his perceived negative substitutions as Netherlands surrendered their lead to Japan in the opening game but was vindicated with the surprise decision to select Brobbey, who became the ninth Dutch player to bag a brace in a World Cup match.
The Sunderland striker had scored just once in 13 appearances for Netherlands before thriving in Houston, but Koeman refused to take a moment to gloat.
“No, I won’t because I know as a coach you plan for substitutes, you have a plan to tackle things in a different way and sometimes things go better than other teams,” he said.
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While it was a near perfect performance for Netherlands, it was Sweden’s worst result at a World Cup since a 7-1 defeat to Brazil in 1950.
“Maybe it was an experience we needed to go through. It was a big game, a big occasion, with a young developing team. Maybe that was a challenge for us …,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said.
“I think the scoreline was a bit harsh on us. That’s not to say we deserved to win the game, of course. The Netherlands played really well, they deserved to win, but we have to take the positives.”
On Thursday, Netherlands will play Tunisia in their final match, and Sweden will face Japan.
ESPN Global Research contributed to this report.
