Following an opening round draw against Japan that saw Netherlands at times struggle to create against a well organized defence, a second group stage tie against Sweden gave the Dutch a chance to take on a far more open Sweden side that left plenty of space to exploit.
The entertaining and open 5-1 that resulted, with Sweden also getting their share of attacking opportunities but looking on balance a tier below their Dutch opponents, puts them top of their group and feeling comfortable ahead of the final
round of group stage matches.
However, there were some post-match concerns for Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, with the veteran superstar centre half suffering a thigh knock that had him briefly worried he might end up missing the group closer against Tunisia on Thursday.
“I got a knock on my hip and for a time I couldn’t feel my thigh anymore,” Van Dijk revealed on Dutch television in the aftermath of their victory over Sweden. “So that was a bit of a problem and very strange but it was probably a nerve. So I think it’s not too bad, but we’ll see.”
Van Dijk has subsequently trained with teammates and is not considered at risk of missing the final group game. Netherlands currently top of Group F with four points and a goals scored edge on Japan, who also have four points while Sweden have three and Tunisia none.
