Sweden manager, Graham Potter, has described his side’s heavy 5-1 loss to the Netherlands as a valuable lesson that could benefit their remaining World Cup fixtures.
Potter observed his team being comfortably beaten at Houston Stadium on Saturday, where Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo each struck twice to inspire Ronald Koeman’s side.
By the time Anthony Elanga managed to reduce the deficit in the 59th minute, the Netherlands had already built a commanding four-goal cushion, before Crysencio Summerville added a late fifth to complete the emphatic win.
The result marked the first time Sweden have lost a World Cup match by three or more goals since their 5-2 defeat to Brazil in the 1958 final on home soil.
Despite that setback, Sweden remain in contention to advance from Group F after earlier beating Tunisia 5-1, with Tunisia now set to meet Japan in Monterrey on Saturday.
Historically, after winning their first three World Cup matches, Sweden have since managed just two victories in their last 15 group-stage games against European opposition (D5 L8).
Potter admitted his side struggled to cope with the Netherlands’ attacking threat in wide areas but insisted there were positives to take as they prepare for their next outing against Japan.
“Obviously, really disappointed. It was a tricky one to analyse, we did lots of good things,” Potter said.
“We attacked, had good opportunities, but you can’t concede that many and hope to win. We’ll learn a lot from the game.
“We played against a good team. They hurt us in wide areas and one goal was from a long ball we didn’t deal with well.
“It was not a great start in the first period [but we] then came back in the second part of the first half.
“We started well in the second half, but lost the ball, conceded two goals and the game was gone from us.
“The boys kept going, but it is one of those things we’ll learn a lot from.”
The Netherlands’ victory extended their remarkable World Cup consistency, as they are now unbeaten in their last 14 matches in the tournament since the 2010 final loss to Spain (W9 D5, excluding penalty shoot-outs).
That run stands as the longest unbeaten sequence in World Cup history, with Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey emerging as the standout performer after being handed a starting role by Koeman.
Brobbey also became only the second Dutch player to score a brace on his first World Cup start, following Johnny Rep’s feat against Uruguay in 1974.
He additionally registered the second-fastest open-play World Cup goal in Netherlands history, behind Phillip Cocu’s strike against Mexico in 1998 (3:59).
Despite the scoreline, Koeman stressed there was still room for improvement in his team’s performance.
“A great result, but we could be better.
“Then you play a complete match. And this match was almost like that.
“Despite the 5-1 victory, you do see moments where, if they start playing differently, it takes us too much time to recognise that, which meant we got into a little too much trouble before the break.”
Koeman also reflected on the importance of the match following their earlier 2-2 draw with Japan, noting the players responded well to the pressure of needing a result.
“So there was more pressure to win this match. We knew it was a must-win,” Koeman added. “But I didn’t feel any tension.
“As a coach, you can feel how people are working after a first match like that and what the players’ input is. Then you know things are on the right track.”
