AFCON 2025
The Netherlands and Japan settled for a point each in their World Cup Group F opener at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Both teams were meeting for the first time since 2013 and at the World Cup since 2010 when Wesley Sneijder scored the only goal of the game.
Ronald Koeman’s Oranje went into the game as favourites and dominated proceedings in the first half but couldn’t find the breakthrough.
AS Roma forward Donyell Malen had the best chance of the half as he used his frame to shield a Japanese defender before unleashing a goal-bound strike.
However, Zion Suzuki dived to the ground quickly to deny the former Aston Villa forward from getting the opener.
The first half ended goalless with the Dutch being the better side but the Blue Samurai showed glimpses of threats at the other end of the pitch.
Virgil van Dijk eventually broke the deadlock a few minutes into the second half with a header off a cross from his Liverpool teammate Ryan Gravenberch.
Six minutes later, Keito Nakamuara was given space in the box and the Reims forward powered a low drive into the bottom corner to restore parity.
It became an end-to-end affair to the delight of the fans and neutrals as the Netherlands sought to reclaim their lead.
Westham’s Summerville restored the lead with a left-footed curler into the far post to put the Netherlands ahead again.
With less than two minutes to the end of regular time, Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada powered home a header from Koki Ogawa to bring Japan level again.
The tie ended 2-2 as both sides picked up a point each to begin their World Cup campaign.
