The Netherlands arrived for its second Group 6 match at the World Cup against Sweden needing a first win to keep control of its qualification hopes. The relief came quickly from an unexpected source, as Brian Brobbey became one of the night’s biggest stories in the Netherlands and around the world.
The 24-year-old Sunderland striker, who had been left on the bench for the opening match against Japan, was preferred over Memphis Depay and delivered immediately. He scored in the fifth minute from a Cody Gakpo cross, then doubled the lead in the 17th minute from a Denzel Dumfries assist. That second goal was the 100th by the Netherlands in World Cup history.
Brobbey completed his brace before halftime in a 5-1 win for the Oranje. His two goals came in 16 minutes and 12 seconds, giving him three goals in 15 appearances for the national team. The feat made him Sunderland’s second scorer at this World Cup, after Granit Xhaka, and the third-fastest brace in World Cup history. He also became the first Dutch player to score two goals so early in a World Cup match.
The article also noted Brobbey’s club background. Sunderland signed him in September 2025 for 25 million euros. In the 2025/26 season he has seven goals and one assist in 32 appearances. Before that, he had a strong spell at Ajax, where he made 163 appearances, scored 56 goals and added 24 assists, after a short and unsuccessful stint at Leipzig. The Israeli link is that Brobbey is the younger brother of Derrick Luckassen, a former Maccabi Tel Aviv player who won the league title with the club.
