Virgil van Dijk names Brian Brobbey’s playing style after Mariano Bombarda

Virgil van Dijk and Denzel Dumfries struggled to find superlatives for Brian Brobbey after his performance in Houston against Sweden. The Ajax striker’s physical presence destabilised the Swedish defence early, with Van Dijk admitting: „He is so difficult to play against.” Van Dijk, who compared Brobbey’s style to Mariano Bombarda’s, revealed his thought process after Oranje’s 5-1 win. „I thought of Bombarda,” he said. „The Argentine-born forward used defenders as a revolving door in the 1990s, using body contact to spin away.” Van Dijk added: „I will never sit close to Brobbey. I know him from the Premier League and see him daily in training here in Kansas City.” Brobbey thrives on physical battles, as Sweden’s Isak Hien experienced first-hand. Hien was outmuscled within five minutes, allowing Brobbey to flick a long clearance from Bart Verbruggen to Tijjani Reijnders. The ball reached Cody Gakpo, who delivered a sharp cross Brobbey converted faster than Hien could react. „If the ball comes and he has you, you never get loose,” Van Dijk explained.

Netherlands hammer Sweden 5-1 to set World Cup record

Dumfries drew a clearer comparison, likening Brobbey to Romelu Lukaku. „The similarities are there,” he said. „Brian is just very good and incredibly hard to play against. He took his chances today and his physicality makes him crucial.” Brobbey opened the scoring after Oranje’s 2-2 draw with Japan, tapping in a Dumfries cross in the first quarter.

Koeman keeps reshaping Oranje attack despite 5-1 win over Sweden

Van Dijk acknowledged the team’s drop in intensity after the early surge but praised Brobbey’s impact. „We have strikers with different profiles, but Brobbey’s pure power is vital,” he said. „He made two great goals and set the tone we needed.” The Dutch captain also highlighted Crysencio Summerville’s introduction, noting the winger’s strong performance despite a facial injury. Dumfries responded firmly when asked if Oranje could win the World Cup. „I said yes,” he translated, „but many countries are in contention.” Van Dijk dismissed concerns over Sweden’s brief control, stating: „Why talk about that after a 5-1 win? We’re growing in this tournament.” He singled out Brobbey’s character and willingness to learn as key for the group.