Japan struck late from a corner to earn a brilliant 2-2 draw against Netherlands in the best game of the World Cup so far.
Ronald Koeman’s side went ahead when Virgil van Dijk glanced a header into the far corner early in the second half but Japan were level six minutes later through Keito Nakamura’s strike from the edge of the box.
Netherlands restored their lead when Crysencio Summerville whipped an excellent shot into the far corner and looked to be heading for victory until Daichi Kamada scored for Japan. A header from Koki Ogawa glanced off Kamada and bounced past the Dutch goalkeeper Bert Verbruggen with two minutes of normal time remaining.
Jacob Whitehead, Carl Anka and Greg O’Keeffe analyse the talking points at the AT&T Stadium…
This was the best match of the World Cup so far
This Group F match-up had been circled as one of the games of the group stages since the draw — with Netherlands’ eighth-place world ranking perhaps overselling their quality and Japan’s 18th-place likely underselling their own.
There have been excellent performances this World Cup, headlined by the United States’ demolition of Paraguay. There have been electric atmospheres too — the noise in Mexico City for the tournament’s opener was genuinely soul-stirring.
But for the game itself, for its flow, tension, and level of execution? Japan’s late equaliser ensured that this was the best match of the World Cup so far.
It was helped by a clash of styles. In many ways, Japan’s approach is far closer to the Netherlands’ famous total football than the current iteration led by Koeman. Both teams were equally capable of playing with or without the ball, switching dominance throughout the match.
With the possible exception of Brazil vs Morocco on Saturday, this was the first game involving major tournament contenders in which the result felt genuinely in the balance — and which featured two sides playing relatively close to their top levels.
There have been justified fears that a 48-team World Cup will dilute the excitement of the group stage and that may still be the case — but it is comforting to know that, even under this new format, that games like this can still emerge.
Jacob Whitehead
How important is Van Dijk for Netherlands?
Virgil van Dijk has been at the heart of the Netherlands’ defence since 2015 — their second highest-scoring defender of all-time, tied with manager Koeman.
But despite the Liverpool captain’s undoubted class, his time with the Oranje has coincided with a difficult decade for the national team, a period in which they have only reached the final four of a major tournament once.
Van Dijk, in parts of the Netherlands, has been criticised for the perception that his club form has not always translated to the national side — a critique which peaked after a heavy defeat to Austria in the group stages of the last Euros.
Van Dijk celebrates heading the Netherlands into the lead (Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images)
But there is a lot to be said for Van Dijk’s consistency — the ever-present in a defence which has burned through partners for him, and a man who has always had an eye for goal in big moments.
In what is likely his final World Cup, the 34-year-old scored his first international major tournament goal, stooping to nod Liverpool team-mate Ryan Gravenberch’s cross home after 50 minutes.
This accuracy is his modus operandi — he scored a very similar goal to win the Merseyside derby in injury-time back in April.
Ryan Gravenberch assisting Virgil van Dijk is only the second ever World Cup goal scored and assisted by a Liverpool player, after Ian Callaghan assisted Roger Hunt for England against France in 1966.
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) June 14, 2026
Jacob Whitehead
Why people are right to tip Japan as dark horses
“I think Japan could be dark horses for the World Cup” was a common prediction before a ball was kicked in North America, and victories over Scotland, England and Iceland before the tournament suggested that they had got sharper when playing against European opponents.
Injuries to Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma and Takumi Minamino had depleted some of the squad’s counter-attacking power, but there is a collective structure that makes Japan resilient defenders and dangerous on the counter-attack.
Hajime Moriyasu sets the team up in a 3-4-2-1 that defends in a compact 4-3-3 (or 4-4-2) before breaking at pace after regaining possession. Wing-backs Keito Nakamura and Ritsu Doan are encouraged to get forward and turn transitional moments into a five-vs-four beatdowns. Japan’s equaliser came from Nakamura being found on the edge of the box by Takefusa Kubo before bending the ball into the bottom left corner.
Keito Nakamura is mobbed by his team-mates after scoring the first of Japan’s two equalisers (Imagn Images via Reuters/Tim Heitman)
To be a World Cup dark horse is to be an underdog and underestimated. Japan had long teased an equaliser in the second half but the method — a headed goal for Koki Ogawa via a corner — was surprising. The victors of Group F are likely to face the third-place team in Group C, featuring Brazil, Morocco and Scotland.
Write Japan off at your peril. There’s a structure and belief to this side that could end up shocking many.
Carl Anka
Summerville’s instant impact for Netherlands
The Netherlands had a major decision to make before finalising their 2026 World Cup squad. Right wing had long been a problem position, with No 10s such as Xavi Simons often being forced wide to plug a hole, or orthodox wingers failing to gel with the uber-attacking full-back Denzel Dumfries.
Enter Summerville — a player who, less than a month ago, endured relegation from the Premier League with West Ham United, though the 24-year-old was one of their rare bright spots during the season.
Though more often known as a left winger, manager Koeman was convinced into taking Summerville with the prime intention of playing him off the right by his assistant Wim Jonk, the former Ajax, Inter Milan and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, who won 49 caps himself for the Netherlands in the 1990s.
Crysencio Summerville scored in his first competitive appearance for the Netherlands (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)
Jonk argued that Summerville was two-footed enough to cut in off the right, and had the link-play and defensive work-rate to gel with Dumfries, one of the first names on the Netherlands’ teamsheet.
Despite having only earned two international caps before the tournament started, Summerville impressed enough in camp to secure the start — repaying Jonk’s faith brilliantly by cutting inside after 64 minutes and firing home with his weaker foot, running straight to the coaches’ bench in celebration.
Remarkably, Summerville was not the only second-tier scorer in the game — with Japan wing-back Nakumura, dynamite for French Ligue 2 side Reims last season with 14 goals, having earlier drawn Japan level with his own fine long-range strike.
Jacob Whitehead
Is Suzuki a goalkeeper that got away for USMNT?
He was not exactly a picture of satisfaction at the final whistle in Dallas.
Although Zion Suzuki could hardly have been blamed for the Netherlands’ two goals, his standards are extremely high. No clean sheet — like he kept against England at Wembley in March — so not much to smile about for the Japan goalkeeper.
But when the dust has settled and he reflects on this opening World Cup display back in the country of his birth, the 23-year-old need not be too harsh on himself.
Suzuki is a good example of the World Cup’s wonderful capacity for multi-national quirks (see Australia’s Tanzania-born Burundian referee starlet Nestory Irankunda).
Born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Ghanaian father and Japanese mother, Suzuki’s family moved back to the latter’s country as a child, where his football career began.
He broke through at local team Urawa Red Diamonds, where he won New Hero Award of the 2021 J.League Cup in his first season, and made his senior debut for Japan in 2022.
Zion Suzuki dives in vain as Van Dijk’s header finds the net (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
After that, the precocious shot-stopper moved to Sint-Truiden in Belgium to test himself in Europe and went on to become the first Japanese goalkeeper to play in Italy’s Serie A after joining Parma.
His talent was clear back then and he showcased his abilities against the Netherlands in Dallas, with superb saves from Donyell Malen in the first half and Cody Gakpo later on.
No wonder that the USMNT were once keen for him to consider switching allegiances and playing for them. Suzuki, though, was always intent on representing the Samurai Blue.
A penny for Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts. The U.S. goalkeeping berth arguably lacks elite strength in depth and a 23-year-old starring in one of Europe’s top leagues would have been a welcome addition.
As for Suzuki, his frustration will be the net rippling behind him twice on Sunday but he helped keep his side in the game, and with eight clean sheets in Japan’s impressive qualification for the tournament, is unlikely to be down for long.
Greg O’Keeffe
