Netherlands and Japan run riot in Group F as Undav rescues Germany

Saturday belonged to Group F, where the Netherlands and Japan both turned their second games into demolitions and left the group with two unbeaten teams and one already heading home. Tunisia are out. Sweden have a problem.

Group F goes orange, then blue

The Dutch were two up inside 17 minutes in Houston. Brian Brobbey scored in the 5th and again in the 17th, and by the time Cody Gakpo added two more in the second half (47’ and 54’), Sweden were chasing shadows. Anthony Elanga pulled one back on the hour, but Crysencio Summerville made it five near the end. Netherlands 5-1 Sweden was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.

Hours later in Monterrey, Japan did much the same to Tunisia. Daichi Kamada struck inside four minutes, Ayase Ueda scored either side of the break for a brace, and Junya Ito got the third in a 4-0 win that knocked Tunisia out. Because the two heavyweights drew their opener 2-2, both now sit on four points, level at the top.

Group F: Netherlands and Japan on four points; Sweden on three; Tunisia eliminated.

Undav leaves it very late

Group E was a tighter, scrappier watch. Ivory Coast led through Franck Kessie just after the half hour, and for a long stretch Germany looked stuck. Deniz Undav changed that. He levelled in the 68th minute and then won it in the 94th, the kind of late goal that decides who tops a group and who sweats on the second-round draw. Germany finish first; Ivory Coast are left to do the maths.

Two groups, two very different evenings. One settled inside 20 minutes, the other not until the fourth minute of stoppage time.

See how Group F and Group E stack up now on the live table.

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