The Netherlands twice failed to maintain its advantage and settled for a 2–2 draw against Japan in one of the most thrilling games of the 2026 World Cup thus far.
A rather underwhelming first half was soon washed away by an action-packed second 45 minutes which completely flipped the dynamic of the match. Virgil van Dijk rose and headed home the Netherlands’ opener in the 50th minute, but the Oranje’s joy was short-lived with Keito Nakamura’s strike leveling the score just seven minutes later.
Crysencio Summerville’s brilliant hit restored the lead for Ronald Koeman’s side and for a while it seemed that would be enough for a win. But Japan overwhelmed the Netherlands in the dying minutes and Koki Ogawa climbed highest at a corner, sending the ball (via a slight deflection from Daichi Kamada) into the back of the net for all of the Netherlands’ hard work to come undone in the 88th minute.
The Oranje has plenty of work to do, particularly in attack if it wants to seriously contend for the title. Japan deservedly rescued a point in what was rightfully deemed the marquee fixture of Group F. The Netherlands now must win its remaining two group matches to ensure progression to the knockout rounds as the top-placed team in the group.
The Problem That Won’t Go Away
Despite boasting a wealth of talent, a toothless attack was the biggest reason why the Netherlands wasn’t viewed as one of the big favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, and that became abundantly clear in its tournament debut.
The Oranje dominated possession as expected, with Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders pulling the string from midfield and forcing Japan to sit in a low block. The game was mostly played inside Japan’s own half, but Koeman’s side rarely tested Zion Suzuki.
The Netherlands struggled to find a way past Japan’s backline, with attackers remaining incredibly static, resulting in slow possessions with Oranje defenders and midfielders struggling to find open teammates in advantageous positions.
An unimaginative attack resulted in the Netherlands settling for sideways passes for the majority of the match. Benefiting from its height advantage at set pieces seemed to be the beginning and end of the Netherlands’ attacking game plan, with Van Dijk’s header coming from the ensuing action of a corner.
A single moment of magic from Summerville aside, it’s clear the Oranje need vast improvement in its attacking department. Figuring out how to unlock the best of its forwards and improving the overall attacking system is a must if the Netherlands want to truly challenge for its first ever World Cup title.
Netherlands Player Ratings vs. Japan
GK: Bart Verbruggen—5.4: Was late to react to Japan’s first, though, his vision was clearly obstructed. Dreadful attempt to stop the second equalizer, regardless of the deflection.
RB: Denzel Dumfries—6.7: Spent much of the first half high up the pitch, dragging more Japan defenders to that area and consequently making life harder for Summerville, who had to drop deeper and faced multiple markers whenever he tried to make things happen on the right wing. Nakamura gave him nightmares.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke—7.2: Won in the air seemingly every time Japan dared float crosses into the penalty area. A dominant performance in the heart of defense.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.9: Flawless defensively whenever his services were needed and opened the scoring with a perfectly placed header. Strong tournament debut from the captain.
LB: Micky van de Ven—6.4: Constantly made runs down the left to bypass Japan’s press and did well containing the dangerous Ritsu Doan. Things got dark for him late when Junya Ito entered the game.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch—8.4: Brilliant performance from the Liverpool holding midfielder. He kept things moving from the middle of the park and his strong showing was rewarded with two assists.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—7.9: Recycled possession with ease as expected. His work might go under the radar, but he was solid overall.
CM: Tijjani Reijnders—6.8: Was rarely involved in what was an underwhelming performance for a player of his quality. Had a handful of teasing deliveries from set pieces.
RW: Crysencio Summerville—7.8: Dropped deep regularly to receive the ball, far from the zones where he’s at his most dangerous. Nevertheless, he was still the Netherlands’ best attacker and scored a brilliant goal to restore his side’s lead—momentarily.
ST: Donyell Malen—6.9: Suzuki’s sensational save denied Malen from breaking the deadlock early on. It was a stellar action from the Roma striker, but he struggled to get involved otherwise.
LW: Cody Gakpo—7.2: The recipe to contain Gakpo has been out there for some time. Whenever he received the ball, markers simply had to make sure they didn’t give him a chance to cut inside to his preferred right foot. Although he had some good actions, he was mostly nullified.
SUB: Quinten Timber (70’ for Reijnders)—6.5: Completed just four passes in his 20-minute cameo.
SUB: Teun Koopmeiners (70’ for Summerville)—6.1: An anonymous showing from the versatile Juventus player. Didn’t look ready for the electric pace of the game.
SUB: Memphis Depay (70’ for Malen)—6.1: Getting booked was the only notable moment of his brief display.
SUB: Nathan Aké (81’ for Gravenberch)—N/A
SUB: Brian Brobbey (85’ for Gakpo)—N/A
Subs not used: Mark Flekken (GK), Robin Roefs (GK), Jorrel Hato, Lutsharel Geertruida, Mats Wieffer, Justin Kluivert, Marten de Roon, Guus Til, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst
What the Ratings Tell Us
- Tijjani Reijnders failed to make a difference in his first ever World Cup appearance. The Manchester City midfielder is one of the Oranje's most talented players but he contributed next to nothing against Japan. After such a promising start of the season, Reijnders has strung together a poor 2026 and his struggles continued in Texas.
- The Netherlands fell apart late in the game, and the substitutes didn’t help them. Quinten Timber , Teun Koopmeiners and Memphis Depay played the final 30 minutes of the game but they barely got a sniff of the ball. Japan’s changed completely transformed the game, Koeman’s contributed next to nothing.
- Ryan Gravenberch endured a difficult season with Liverpool, failing to replicate his form from 2024–25. But in his first ever World Cup appearance, he was sensational, dominating in midfield and showcasing his quality as a creator, particularly when he whipped a perfect cross for Van Dijk’s opener. A very promising performance from the midfielder.
The Numbers That Explain the Netherlands’ Underwhelming Showing
- Despite winning the possession battle emphatically, the Netherlands could only muster a feeble 0.79 xG and only 0.28 came from open play .
- The Netherlands had 33 touches in Japan’s box compared to the Samurai Blues’ 19. Still, both teams had the same amount of shots with 10 .
- A weak attacking performance saw the Oranje create just one big chance during the entirety of the match.
| Statistic | Netherlands | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 60% | 40% |
| xG | 0.79 | 0.54 |
| Total Shots | 10 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 88% | 81% |
| Fouls | 7 | 7 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
