Great debut, Japan holds the Netherlands 2-2

Japan avoided defeat after Daichi Kamada's last-minute goal led the Blue Samurai to a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in the opening match of Group F of the 2026 World Cup at the Dallas Stadium, United States, on Monday.

Kamada spoiled the victory in front of the eyes of De Oranje who won twice thanks to the goals of Virgil van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville.

This result makes the competition in Group F of the 2026 World Cup open. The Netherlands and Japan both collected one point from their first match.

Sweden and Tunisia in this group have the opportunity to take the first position if they win the meeting between them at the Monterrey Stadium, Canada, on Monday morning at 09.00 WIB.

The Dutch dominated from the first half and immediately threatened through Donyell Malen in the third minute. However, the opportunity for Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was quick to fail.

Malen again got a golden opportunity in the 34th minute from a header that continued from the corner kick of Tijjani Reijnders. Suzuki again performed brilliantly to keep the Samurai Blue's goal from being conceded.

Japan, who defended more, then created opportunities before halftime. However, Ayase Ueda's efforts failed to bear fruit.

The score remained 0-0 until the first half ended.

The Netherlands broke the deadlock in the 50th minute. Ryan Gravenberch's corner was headed by Virgil van Dijk to give Oranje a 1-0 lead.

But the lead didn't last long. Japan equalised seven minutes later thanks to Keito Nakamura's goal after taking advantage of a ball from Takefusa Kubo's kick.

The Netherlands restored the lead in the 64th minute from Crysencio Summerville's individual action. After receiving a pass from Gravenberch, the winger moved from the side of the field before firing a curved shot that failed to be stopped by Zion Suzuki.

When the Netherlands were on the verge of winning this match, Japan surprised in the final minutes of the match. Taking advantage of the corner kick, Daichi Kamada scored in the 89th minute from a header despite being escorted by Van Dijk to ensure the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Line-up Netherlands (4-3-3): Bart Verbruggen; Denzel Dumfries, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven; Tijjani Reijnders, Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch; Crysencio Summerville, Donyell Malen, Cody Gakpo.

Japan (3-4-3): Zion Suzuki; Hiroki Ito, Shogo Taniguchi, Tsuyoshi Watanabe; Ritsu Doan, Kaishu Sano, Daichi Kamada, Keito Nakamura; Takefusa Kubo, Ayase Ueda, Daizen Maeda.