Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Tijjani Reijnders and Netherlands put Sweden to the sword

Tijjani Reijnders and Netherlands sent a clear message in Houston with a dominant 5-1 demolition of Sweden on Saturday, vaulting them to the top of the World Cup Group F standings.

After settling for a draw against Japan in their tournament opener, Ronald Koeman‘s squad came out firing and never let up, banking a result that puts their progression to the knockouts largely in their own hands.

Brian Brobbey set the tone early, netting twice within the opening quarter-hour to give the Dutch a commanding cushion.

Sweden briefly threatened a route back into the match when Gustaf Lagerbielke headed in from a corner just before the break, but the effort was chalked off for offside.

The second half saw Netherlands hit another gear almost immediately: Cody Gakpo converted a slick Denzel Dumfries cross, then doubled his own tally moments later off a Summerville assist.

Sweden finally got on the scoresheet through Anthony Elanga, who raced onto a through ball from Alexander Isak and beat Virgil van Dijk to finish coolly. Crysencio Summerville, introduced at the interval, capped the scoring with a late strike to seal the rout.

Notably, Sweden became the first team in World Cup history to open with a four-goal margin victory only to lose their very next match by an identical margin, having beaten Tunisia 5-1 in their own opener.

With one round of group fixtures remaining, the table in Group F remains tight, but it’s now the Dutch who control their own path forward heading into their clash with Tunisia.

Tijjani Reijnders Match Statistics vs Sweden

Minutes Played – 59
Expected Goals (xG) – 0.03
Total Shots – 1
Offsides – 1
Crosses (Accurate) – 1(0)
Accurate Passes – 9/12 (75%)
Passes in Opposition Half (Accurate) – 7/9 (78%)
Passes in Own Half (Accurate) – 2/3 (67%)
Touches – 24
Unsuccessful Touches – 1
Dribbles (Unsuccessful) – 1(0)
Was Fouled – 2
Possession Lost – 8
Total Carrying Distance – 26.3m
Carries – 5
Total Progression – 17.2m
Recoveries – 2
Ground Duels (Won) – 5(2)
Aerial Duels (Won) – 2(0)

Data courtesy of Sofascore.