Netherlands 5-1 Sweden player ratings: Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey put Oranje one step from knockouts at World Cup 2026

Virgil van Dijk's Netherlands took one step closer to qualifying for the round of 16 at World Cup 2026 on Saturday, when they thrashed Sweden 5-1 at Houston Stadium.

Brian Brobbey set the tone with an early brace, before Cody Gakpo notched a double of his own and Crysencio Summerville added a late sealer to ensure that Anthony Elanga's goal for the competitive Blue and Yellow was a mere consolation.

Here, Sports Mole provides player ratings from the Netherlands' World Cup victory over Group F rivals Sweden.

Netherlands player ratings vs. Sweden:

© Imago / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

GOALKEEPER

Bart Verbruggen  - 6/10

DEFENCE

Denzel Dumfries - 8/10

Denzel Dumfries has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer, and the manner in which he showed his ability to impact games on the biggest stage will have Los Blancos fans excited for the coming season.

The 30-year-old right-back assisted Brobbey's second and his perfectly-weighted low cross for Gakpo's first handed the Liverpool winger a simple tap-in.

Jan Paul van Hecke - 6/10

Virgil van Dijk - 6/10

Micky van de Ven - 6/10

MIDFIELD

Ryan Gravenberch - 6/10

Frenkie de Jong - 7/10

Tijjani Reijnders - 6/10

ATTACK

Donyell Malen - 5/10

Brian Brobbey - 9/10

Brobbey was raring to go from kick off, and scoring with just five minutes on the clock laid the groundwork for the demolition that followed, while his second gave Oranje some breathing room.

The Sunderland striker may not have completed his hat-trick this weekend, but he repeatedly occupied defenders and made space for his teammates, and drawing Victor Lindelof's attention contributed significantly to Gakpo's first goal.

Cody Gakpo - 9/10

Gakpo endured a difficult campaign with Liverpool, but he delivered one of the strongest performances at the World Cup so far on Saturday, assisting Brobbey's opener and going on to score two in seven second-half minutes shortly after the restart.

Nobody took more shots (five) than 27-year-old, who regularly exploited the space left by Sweden's three-man backline and drove at the heart of the Blue and Yellow defence to create chaos.

SUBSTITUTES

Crysencio Summerville - 8/10

Summerville may have been relegated from the Premier League with West Ham United, but he arrived from the bench to score and assist for his country this weekend.

The winger - who replaced Malen at half time - was the provider for Gakpo's second effort nine minutes after coming on, and following a period of Sweden pressure, he relieved the tension with a deserved goal of his own late in the day.

Teun Koopmeiners - 6/10 

Guus Til - 6/10

Memphis Depay - 6/10

Noa Lang - N/A

Sweden player ratings vs. Netherlands:

© Iconsport / ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN, ANP

GOALKEEPER

Kristoffer Nordfeldt - 4/10

DEFENCE

Gustaf Lagerbielke - 5/10

Isak Hien - 5/10

Victor Nilsson Lindelof - 4/10

MIDFIELD

Alexander Bernhardsson - 6/10

Benjamin Nygren - 5/10

Jesper Karlstrom - 5/10

Yasin Ayari - 6/10

Brighton midfielder Ayari was surprisingly involved in a number of attacks during the first half, but he squandered his opportunities while the game was still in the balance and found the target with just one of his four shots.

To be fair to the 22-year-old, Sweden were competitive in the centre of the park up against the likes of De Jong, but things could have been different if he had converted any of his chances.

Gabriel Gudmundsson - 5/10

ATTACK

Viktor Gyokeres - 6/10

Gyokeres enjoyed a few bright moments in the first half, notably delivering a brilliant cross on his weak foot that Ayari miscontrolled and forcing a good save from Verbruggen from a free kick.

However, he was less threatening in the second half as Netherlands ran up the score.

Alexander Isak - 7/10

The Liverpool star struggled to make his mark at Anfield in 2025-26 due to a combination of injury problems and managerial strife, but the fact that his quality was obvious even amidst a 5-1 defeat bodes well for the future.

Isak created four chances on Saturday - more than any other player - and he will be frustrated that his teammates failed to match his performance level.

SUBSTITUTES

Anthony Elanga - 7/10

Outside of Isak, Sweden were lacking a spark up top for large parts of the game, but Elanga was a constant thorn in the Netherlands' side after he came on around the 55-minute mark.

The Newcastle United winger scored his team's only goal of the game, and a nutmeg on Van de Ven left the Tottenham Hotspur man thankful that he did not start the clash.

Besfort Zeneli - 6/10

Lucas Bergvall - 6/10

Taha Abdi Ali - 6/10

Elliot Stroud - N/A