Netherlands edged out Japan and Sweden to clinch first place in Group F as Brian Brobbey and Jan Paul van Hecke got on the scoresheet after an early own goal from Ellyes Skhiri.

The Oranje was 2-0 up within six minutes and 24 seconds, the fastest such start by any team in a FIFA World Cup match since 2002, when Poland led United States 2-0 after four minutes and 21 seconds.

However, Tunisia then battled back into the contest and halved the arrears through Hazem Mastouri's header in the second half, but Van Hecke's glancing effort restored Netherlands' two-goal cushion eight minutes later.

However, with a tricky Round 32 tie against Morocco now awaiting his team, Koeman believes it cannot afford to offer its opponents any encouragement.

"We hoped for a good start and that happened. It was 2-0 pretty quickly. After that, we continued well, but there were moments in the transition when they became dangerous," Koeman said.

"The phase before half-time and the phase after the break were not good. You could see that there was not much going on.

"You want to play a match as a whole well, not with those sloppy moments in possession.

"Because if you play better teams... We have seen that against Japan, or even Sweden, that can cost you your head."

Netherlands will face Morocco,  which finished as Group C runner-up behind Brazil, in Monterrey on Tueaday (AEST), which could mean playing in searing temperatures after it was spared the worst of the summer conditions throughout the group stage.

"We haven't been hot in Kansas City, we played indoors twice [in Houston] and today we were fortunately able to play with nice temperatures," Koeman added.

"If it gets hot there, then we just have to accept that."

Tunisia, meanwhile, exits the tournament with zero points and 12 goals conceded – the most by any team in the FIFA World Cup's group stage since North Korea in 2010 – also 12 – and the most outright by any team at a single edition since Brazil in 2014, when is conceded 14 goals, including a 7-1 loss to Germany.

Herve Renard was hired as Tunisia's coach one game into the tournament, with Sabri Lamouchi sacked after a 5-1 loss to Sweden, but he has no regrets about taking the job.

"We were not at the level for this [FIFA] World Cup. This is clear. There is no discussion," he said. "The federation called me for a very short mission.

"We agreed on that deal and rather than stay on my couch, watching this amazing event from very far away, I thought, 'I've got nothing to lose'."