The Netherlands secured top spot in Group F with a routine 3-1 victory over already eliminated Tunisia in Kansas City.

Brian Brobbey and Jan Paul van Hecke were on target for Ronald Koeman's free-scoring side, who took their goal tally for the 2026 World Cup into double figures.

The Oranje, who were level on points with second-placed Japan, needed to better the latter's result against Sweden to guarantee first place in Group F.

They made an ideal start by taking the lead after just three minutes, when Denzel Dumfries' inviting cross was turned into his own net by Ellyes Skhiri.

Brobbey, who scored a brace in the 5-1 rout of Sweden, added a second goal just four minutes later, volleying home after Virgil van Dijk nodded a free-kick across the penalty area and into his path.

Skhiri made amends for his earlier error in the 51st minute, with a well-placed block to prevent Dumfries' close-range volley from flying into the roof of the net.

Tunisia gave themselves hope three minutes later when Hannibal Mejbri's corner was brilliantly headed in by Hazem Mastouri.

However, it lasted just eight minutes as Van Hecke found the net with a glancing header from a Tijjani Reijnders corner, via an Anis Ben Slimane deflection.

Reijnders twice went close to increasing the Netherlands' advantage soon after, lobbing against the bar, before calling Aymen Dahmen into action with a low drive. However, the damage was already done, with the Dutch safely through as group winners.

Dominant Dutch show no mercy

The Netherlands head into the knockout rounds, where Morocco await in the round of 32, full of confidence and momentum, fresh from scoring their joint-most goals in a single World Cup group stage (10, also in 2014).

Koeman's side took just six minutes and 24 seconds to establish a 2-0 lead; the fastest a team has done so in a World Cup match since Poland against the United States in 2002 (four minutes, 21 seconds).

Skhiri, who became Tunisia's leading appearance maker at the finals with nine, marked the milestone in the worst possible way by diverting Dumfries' cross beyond his own goalkeeper.

Brobbey was then in the right place to become only the third player to score with each of his first three shots in World Cup matches, after Laszlo Kiss (for Hungary in 1982) and Yerry Mina (for Colombia in 2018).

However, their vulnerability from set-pieces was exposed in the second half, as they conceded from a corner for the second time in this World Cup. Previously, they had only let in three goals from corners at the finals.

Nevertheless, it was a brief lapse in an otherwise comfortable victory, with Van Hecke's deflected header restoring the two-goal advantage, and extending the Dutch's unbeaten streak at the World Cup to 15 matches (excluding penalty shootouts).

As for Tunisia, they became the first nation to concede 12 goals in a World Cup group phase since North Korea in 2010. 

The African side's chaotic campaign - which saw them replace head coach Sabri Lamouchi with Herve Renard after their opening 5-1 defeat by Sweden - is all the more surprising, given they did not concede a single goal in qualifying and collected 28 points from a possible 30.