After 50 minutes of the game between the Netherlands and Japan, football fans were in dismay. It was expected that there would be games in this tournament in which the quality would be doubtful due to the lack of quality of the teams, but nobody expected that the match between Holland and Japan would be in that category. And yet that was exactly the case as both teams cancelled each other out in a game with a few chances. And then Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring, which turned the game in a totally different direction. After 90 minutes, we can finally say we saw a proper World Cup game – with tempo, chances, great goals and excitement.The Netherlands have not been beaten in a WC group game since 1994, and they haven’t lost tonight either, but allowed a late goal as Japan managed to secure a deserved draw – 2:2.
Both teams had their moments and their chances so this result is a fair one, but when a nation like the Netherlands wants their team to reach semi-final, a win is needed in a group stage. Oranje took the lead twice but were twice denied as Japan players were relentless as always. All four goals were excellent but Ronald Koeman won’t be pleased that the equaliser came from a header. The Netherlands shouldn’t have conceded a goal like that, considering that Japan had only one player who was above 1.87 meters. Out of the four goals scored, three game from the players in the Premier League – Van Dijk, Summerville and Kamada.
The start of the game looked really promising since it was Malen who created a great chance after only four minutes. Gakpo passed the ball to the Roma forward, who showed great strength to spin his man inside the box and unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot that Zion Suzuki brilliantly pushed to safety. But after that – nothing. There were only three more chances in the first 45 minutes, and Malen created another one for the Netherlands, but Suzuki was there again. As for Japan, they created their two opportunities at the end of the first half.
Summerville misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing it to reach Nakamura, who controlled it before firing a shot just wide of the near post. Just a minute later, Ueda rattled it after connecting with a volley from a difficult angle. Basically, the first half was about two teams cancelling each other out. Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk prevented the second half from being as boring as the first one with a fantastic header, which went in just inches near the post in the 51st minute, forcing Japan to try to equalise. And that’s exactly what happened six minutes later, when Reims’ Ligue 2 player Keito Nakamura caught the Netherlands’ defence sleeping and equalised with a great shot. But Ronald Koeman’s side were not to be denied, and West Ham’s Summerville scored a beauty in the 64th minute for the lead and eventual win. Both teams had their chances but it was Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada who eventually managed to find a net with a great header, overjumping none other than Van Dijk and secured a valuable point for Japan.
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