Netherlands' Esmee Brugts reacts after scoring against Vietnam. Photo / AP

The Netherlands scored four times in a torrid 15-minute first-half stretch, overwhelming Vietnam 7-0 in the Women’s World Cup today and sealing first place in Group E.

The Dutch went into the match in second place on goal differential behind the United States. But the blowout win combined with the Americans’ 0-0 draw with Portugal made the Netherlands the group winner. The U.S. advanced in second place.

The Netherlands dominated almost from the start. Lieke Martens chipped a shot into the net in the eighth minute over 5-foot-4 Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh to get the scoring started. Then the rout was on, as goals from three other Dutch players quickly followed.

Esmee Brugts scored one in the flurry on a curling ball from outside the penalty area in the 18th minute, then got another from nearly the same spot in the second half. Jill Roord also scored two.

Vietnam changed goalkeepers at halftime, substituting Khong Thi Hang in for Tran Thi Kim Thanh. It was too late.

Attendance for the match was 8,215, a big drop from the sold-out crowd of 25,947 at the previous match, when co-host New Zealand played Switzerland to a 0-0 draw and was eliminated from the tournament.

Netherlands will advance to the round of 16 for its third time in tournament history, which includes the 2019 final. Netherlands’ first opponent in the knockout round will be determined by the last games in Group G on Wednesday. Sweden currently leads that group, followed by second-place Italy. The Netherlands will face the second-place team.

The Netherlands want to win every match in the Women’s World Cup but none more so than Tuesday’s game against Vietnam.

At stake: avoiding Sweden in the knockout round.

The Dutch, the tournament runner-up in 2019, need only a win or a draw in the Group E match played in Dunedin, New Zealand. And even a loss would be OK so long as the United States beats Portugal in a game being played simultaneously.

But the Netherlands has mapped out the tournament and wants no part of Sweden anytime soon.

“The first aim is always to win and get to the last 16 and then after that if we can score goals we will, of course,” said Dutch coach Andries Jonker. “But looking at our colleagues from the U.S. and Portugal, we’ve noticed it’s not all that easy. We’ve never shown any kind of arrogance, but if we get chances to score goals we will. We would prefer to play against the number two in this group and not Sweden.”

The Netherlands are tied with the United States for the top spot in the group after playing to a 1-1 draw against the Americans and a 1-0 win over Portugal.

Vietnam has already been eliminated from its first Women’s World Cup following losses to the United States and Portugal. Vietnam has lost its last five internationals by a combined score of 18-1.

“The Netherlands tries to have as many goals as possible, and I have to say we are at a low level,” said Vietnam coach Mai Duc Chung. “If we compare with Asia, we’re still at a low level. So if we compare with the world, we are still quite behind. It is a success for us already. In the past two matches we have tried our best. Great effort already.”