Japan secure dramatic late draw against Netherlands in World Cup thriller
Daichi Kamada scored an 88th-minute equaliser to earn Japan a dramatic 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in their World Cup Group F match in Dallas on Sunday.
Koki Ogawa connected with Junya Ito’s late corner before the ball deflected off Kamada to beat goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
The fortunate strike sparked wild celebrations among the 69,285 supporters in attendance at the AT&T Stadium.
Frantic second half delivers goals
Following a cautious opening 45 minutes, the encounter erupted into life with three goals inside a frantic 13-minute spell.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring for the Dutch in the 51st minute with a clever header from Ryan Gravenberch’s precise cross.
The Samurai Blue responded swiftly when Keito Nakamura’s deflected low drive levelled the tie just six minutes later.
West Ham United winger Crysencio Summerville, who only made his senior international debut earlier this month, appeared to have secured victory for Ronald Koeman’s side with a stunning curling effort on 64 minutes.
Group F blown wide open
The late equaliser prevents the European giants from taking early control of a challenging group that also features Sweden and Tunisia.
The Dutch were frustrated by fitness issues prior to kick-off, with talisman Memphis Depay only able to manage a brief 20-minute cameo.
For the Asian powerhouse, this resilient performance echoes their famous giant-killing victories over Germany and Spain at the previous tournament.
“We didn’t just come here for fun. We have to be ready for challenging to win the World Cup.”
Yukinari Sugawara, Japan wing-back
