Netherlands 2-2 Japan: Second-half thriller sees both sides pick up crucial point | OneFootball

Japan and the Netherlands played out an entertaining 2-2 draw this evening in the opening game of Group F.

A thrilling second half saw Holland take the lead twice, through Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville only to be pegged back by Japan’s Keito Nakamura and Daichi Kamada.

As It Happened

Donyell Malen registered the first shot on target of the night after just three minutes, forcing a superb save from Zion Suzuki. Both sides continued to have controlling spells of possession throughout the opening half hour without creating a true goalscoring opportunity.

Suzuki was called into action again shortly after the 30th minute to deny Malen’s headed effort from a Dutch corner. Moments later, Cody Gakpo fired well over the crossbar from inside the area. The best chances of the half fell to Nakamura and Ayase Ueda, who both flashed efforts narrowly wide, when they arguably should’ve done better.

The opening goal of the game came from Van Dijk just five minutes into the second half, a beautifully guided header that found the far bottom corner. Their lead didn’t last long, however, as Nakamura fired home just five minutes later to level the score and open Japan’s account for the tournament.

The first yellow card of the match followed shortly after, when Summerville brought a Japan counterattack to an end with a foul. Summerville was at the heart of the match again just minutes later, giving his side the lead with an excellent curling finish into the bottom corner on the hour mark.

Gakpo came close to adding a third for the Netherlands shortly after, but his effort was well blocked. Japan responded by making their first change of the game, which saw Daizen Maeda replaced by Junya Ito. Takefusa Kubo then took aim from range and came close to what would have been a goal of the tournament contender, but he was unable to keep his effort on target. A triple change followed for Holland, introducing Memphis Depay, Teun Koopmeiners and Quinten Timber in favour of Malen, Summerville and Tijani Reijnders.

The Samurai Blue continued their hunt for an equaliser by making a triple change, which saw Yukinari Sugawara, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Koki Ogawa replace Ritsu Doan, Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Kubo for the remaining 15 minutes. Sugawara made an immediate impact, forcing Bart Verbruggen into a smart stop to protect his side’s lead.

Ronald Koeman turned to his bench once again in the 80th minute, with Nathan Aké replacing Ryan Gravenberch as they look to see out the remainder of the match. Depay was booked just moments later, giving away a free-kick inside his own half. Meanwhile, Japan’s final change saw Ayase Ueda replaced by Kento Shiogai.

Japan continued to push for an equaliser, winning a string of set-pieces, and eventually got their reward when Ogawa beat Van Dijk in the air and headed home from a corner to level the score once again. Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky Van De Ven received a yellow card following the goal for a tactical foul on Junya Ito.

Both sides continued to push for a leveller, but neither could find the vital moment, meaning the points were shared in Dallas.