Foreign media are impressed by the Dutch team’s 5-1 victory over Sweden on Saturday evening.
“All doubts are off the table: the Netherlands and Koeman are proud after a statement victory against Sweden,” headlines the Belgian sports channel Sporza. “After a false start, the Netherlands recovered nicely against Sweden at the World Cup,” is the conclusion. “Finally the supporters were allowed to make more noise than the critics.”
The BBC focuses mainly on the criticism that national coach Ronald Koeman had received after the match against Japan and how he was able to completely shake it off on Saturday evening: “From the first whistle in Houston it was clear that he and his players wanted to underline their ambitions,” the British channel notes. “Wave after wave, the Dutch players charged at the stunned Swedish defense at a breathtakingly high pace.”
Also El Pais was impressed: “The Netherlands takes out the sledgehammer against Sweden, frees itself and finally enjoys,” headlines the Spanish newspaper. There was particular surprise at the good performance of Brian Brobbey, who scored twice in the initial phase. “The red carpet of the World Cup tests football’s biggest stars and is suddenly confronted with the unexpected breakthrough of players who until now only appeared in the guides for the real connoisseurs. That was the case with the Dutchman Brian Brobbey during the Netherlands-Sweden match.”
The New York Times wonders whether this big victory makes the Netherlands a candidate for the world title. The answer is “yes”, because the newspaper writes that they are “serious contenders if they manage to maintain this level.”
The German Image finally speaks of an “Orange party” and a “Holland gala” against Sweden. “What a show of power. The Netherlands is now really in the World Cup mood,” writes the newspaper.
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2026 FIFA World Cup
Despite the 5-1 score, Dutch players believe that things still need to improve