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Cody Gakpo faced flak from Liverpool fans as their Premier League title defence imploded but at the World Cup he is proving to be the man for the big occasion with his country.The forward set up Brian Brobbey for the opening goal and grabbed two himself in the second half as the Netherlands dismantled Sweden 5-1 in Houston on Saturday.After being held 2-2 by Japan, it gave Ronald Koeman's side liftoff at the tournament in North America and put them on the brink of the last 32.In a Group F encounter packed with top Premier League attacking talent, including Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres for Sweden, Gakpo topped the billing."He's an outstanding footballer," Netherlands and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said of his Anfield team-mate."He works so hard for the team, he's disciplined for the team, his quality stands out -- his crosses, his assists, his goals."Playing off the left, the 27-year-old Gakpo used his pace and power to skip down the inside and provide a pinpoint low cross for Brobbey to score after only five minutes.With the Dutch leading 2-0 at the break after a second from Brobbey, Gakpo effectively killed off Sweden two minutes after the restart as he stole in to prod home from close range.He grabbed his second seven minutes later, profiting from more lax Sweden defending to turn inside onto his right foot and lash the ball past an exposed Kristoffer Nordfeldt.'FREEDOM'Gakpo, who can also play in a central role in attack, scored seven times in 36 games in the league last season as Liverpool miserably failed to retain their domestic crown.Manager Arne Slot was subsequently sacked, and Gakpo did not escape criticism either, at times looking short of confidence and failing to consistently impact matches.Some Liverpool fans derided him as a hard-working but limited player.It did not help that Slot appeared not sure how to best use his attacking options that also included Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and the fast-emerging Rio Ngumoha.But Gakpo is a different beast for the Dutch, especially on the biggest stages. 23 GOALS IN 52 MATCHESHe has 23 goals and 12 assists in 52 appearances for his country since making his debut five years ago.Still then a bit of an unknown quantity to global football fans, he scored in all three group games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.That heralded a move from PSV Eindhoven to Anfield for a reported initial fee of £37 million (now $50 million).Under countryman Slot, Gakpo scored 10 times as Liverpool won the Premier League in the coach's first season in 2024-25.Yet there has always been a nagging feeling that it is for his country that he hits his best form.He was joint top scorer at the 2024 Euros with three goals as the Netherlands lost in the semi-finals to England.After turning it on once more to help destroy the Swedes on Saturday, Gakpo was asked about his role with his country versus that with his club."A good question. Obviously it's a little bit different," he replied."It's different where the coach wants me to be, the freedom I have (compared to) at Liverpool."Perhaps it helps that, in contrast to at Liverpool, Koeman has made it clear that Gakpo is one of his main men.The captain Van Dijk said: "He's very important for us, we want him to stay like that." 

Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey both scored twice as the rampant Netherlands thrashed Sweden 5-1 in a World Cup warning Saturday in Houston.The big win in front of nearly 69,000 put the delighted Dutch on the cusp of the knockout rounds and gave them liftoff after being held by Japan.Ronald Koeman's side top Group F with four points from two games, ahead of Sweden on three, Japan (one) and Tunisia (none).Despite the sobering loss the Swedes had plenty of chances but were denied by good goalkeeping and wasteful finishing.They are still in with a good chance of progressing into the last 32.Sunderland striker Brobbey got his first start of the tournament and repaid Koeman with predatory goals after five and 17 minutes.Before that the 24-year-old had scored only once for his country since making his debut three years ago.In a game full of top Premier League talent, Liverpool's Gakpo - who set Brobbey up for the opener - scored twice early in the second half.Substitute Anthony Elanga pulled one back for Sweden just before the hour with a classy finish.Crysencio Summerville had the last word for the five-star Dutch.Two crew members from the historic Artemis II lunar mission were among the VIP guests, a nod to Houston's place as the home of space flight.The Dutch, twice pegged back in a lively 2-2 draw with Japan to start their title bid, made the brighter start in front of their orange-clad fans and King Willem-Alexander.Brobbey, who came in for Summerville despite the winger scoring against Japan, started and finished the first goal.It was made in the Premier League, with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Gakpo all involved.Brobbey exchanged passes with Gakpo, before the Anfield attacker crossed in low from the left for his team-mate to stab in from close range.Sweden, who thrashed Tunisia 5-1 in their first game, could not handle Brobbey's muscular presence.Up front the much-vaunted attack of Liverpool's Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal were feeding on scraps for Sweden. Gakpo's halfTwelve minutes after his opener Brobbey made it 2-0 when a deflected Denzel Dumfries cross from the right fell perfectly into his path and he toe-poked past Kristoffer Nordfeldt.Sweden's English coach Graham Potter was in deep discussions with his backroom staff as the game threatened to run away from them.At the unpopular hydration break Potter made a beeline for left-sided defender Gabriel Gudmundsson of Leeds United, who was being overrun by the flying Dumfries and Donyell Malen.Sweden then had their best chance, Gyokeres crossing for an unmarked Yasin Ayari who completely miscontrolled the ball with his chest.Gyokeres was next to fluff a good chance, failing to make proper contact after being played in by the largely anonymous Isak.Gyokeres and Ayari twice both had further sights of goal, only to be denied by the increasingly overworked Verbruggen.The Netherlands were hanging on by end of the half.Koeman sent on Summerville for Malen at the break, and two minutes later it was mission impossible for Sweden, Gakpo prodding in from close range after yet another dangerous low cross from Dumfries.All three goals were strikingly similar.Gakpo scored a lovely fourth on 54 minutes, turning inside his defender before firing low into the bottom corner.Nottingham Forest winger Elanga pulled one back five minutes later when he raced clear of the Dutch defence and rattled the ball past Verbruggen.West Ham's Summerville made it five in the dying minutes with his second goal in North America.Sweden face Japan next while the Netherlands play Tunisia. 

Scotland roared back to beat Greece 3-1 on Thursday to boost their hopes of direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Cody Gakpo inspired the Netherlands to a 4-0 win in Malta.The Greeks took the lead in Glasgow early in the second period through Kostas Tsimikas, before Scotland hit back through Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykes to secure a second win from three Group C qualifying matches for Steve Clarke’s side. Scotland are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.“Massive win. We’re not naive enough to know we weren’t at our best tonight. The reaction to going 1-0 down was brilliant,” said Christie. “Two massive games – that’s one ticked off and now onto Sunday (when Scotland take on Belarus).”Tsimikas, on loan at Roma from Premier League champions Liverpool, gave Greece a deserved lead on 62 minutes as he stroked home a breaking ball from the edge of the six-yard box. But Hampden Park roared two minutes later as Christie bundled in from close range to level for the hosts – the goal finally validated after a lengthy VAR check for offside.A deflected Che Adams effort in the 75th minute bobbled narrowly wide as the home side woke up. The decisive goal came five minutes later as Ferguson opened his account for Scotland, blasting in after the Greeks failed to clear an Andy Robertson free-kick. Angus Gunn made a fine save to keep Scotland ahead in injury time, before Dykes pounced on a goalkeeping error at the other end to seal the win. Denmark top Group C, though are level on seven points with Scotland and four ahead of Greece, courtesy of a handsome 6-0 win in Belarus.Napoli striker Rasmus Hojlund continued his fine vein of form as he netted twice for the Danes. Liverpool’s Gakpo converted two spot-kicks either side of the break and set up Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders for the Netherlands’s third goal, with Memphis Depay also netting late on.A fourth win in five matches for Ronald Koeman’s side leaves them top of Group G on 13 points, three clear of second-placed Poland. Finland sit third - also on 10 points, albeit having played one match more than the Dutch and Polish - after a 2-1 win at home to Lithuania.Croatia and the Czech Republic remain locked level at the summit of Group L after playing out a goalless stalemate in Prague, however the 2018 World Cup runners-up have a game in hand. Faroe Islands secured a third win in six outings in the group, beating Montenegro 4-0 in Torshavn, to sit four points behind the pair.In Group H, Austria thumped San Marino 10-0 at home as Marko Arnautovic grabbed four goals, while Bosnia and Hercegovina drew 2-2 with Cyprus in Larnaca. Cyprus’s 97th-minute equaliser from the spot condemned Bosnia to second place in the pool, two points behind the Austrians who also have a game in hand on the Bosnians.