Brian Brobbey's Surprise Start Powers the Netherlands Past Sweden

Ronald Koeman stunned the Dutch media and much of the public by starting Brian Brobbey against Sweden on Saturday, and the Sunderland striker repaid him within 17 minutes with a brace. Both goals came from sharp team moves, and Brobbey finished them to put the Oranje in control.

Brobbey had barely featured before. In the Netherlands' World Cup opener against Japan, he played only five minutes, and he was not included in any of the eight qualifying matches for the tournament. His last official start for the national team had come on 19 November 2024, in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia in the Nations League, when he scored his first international goal.

Koeman explained before kickoff on NOS that he wanted more attacking presence. He said Brobbey was “more of a central striker than Donyell Malen,” which would let Malen play deeper and Denzel Dumfries operate higher on the right. Koeman also said he had been happy with Xavi Simons, but added that the winger had had physical issues in recent days, noting that Simons left training on Thursday and that the team would not take unnecessary risks.

Dutch coverage praised the decision, saying Brobbey immediately justified the trust placed in him and calling him the team’s new star, at least for this match. The 24-year-old had scored seven goals and added one assist in 31 Premier League appearances last season. His two-goal performance tripled his international tally to three and came in the Netherlands' 100th World Cup goal.