Japan showed remarkable resilience as they came from behind twice to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in their opening Group F match of the 2026 World Cup at Dallas Stadium, Texas.
Facing one of Europe’s football powerhouses, the Samurai Blue spent much of the match under pressure as the Dutch dominated possession, controlling nearly 60 per cent of the game.
Despite struggling to register a shot on target in the first half, Japan remained organised defensively and successfully absorbed wave after wave of attacks from The Oranje.
The breakthrough finally arrived five minutes after the restart when Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk rose highest to head home a Ryan Gravenberch cross, giving his side a deserved lead.
Japan responded almost immediately. Keito Nakamura restored parity in the 57th minute with a clinical right-footed finish after finding space just outside the penalty area and beating the Dutch goalkeeper.
However, the scores remained level only briefly as Chrystian Sermino restored the Netherlands’ advantage with a superb curling strike that left Japan’s goalkeeper with no chance.
Japan’s task became even more challenging midway through the second half when star playmaker Takefusa Kubo was forced off with a knee injury.
The loss of one of their key creative players threatened to derail their comeback hopes, but Hajime Moriyasu’s men refused to surrender and continued pushing forward in search of another equaliser.
Their persistence paid off in dramatic fashion in the 88th minute. A chaotic sequence following a corner kick saw Koki Ogawa’s header deflect off Daichi Kamada before finding the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations among the Japanese players and supporters.
The dramatic late goal secured a valuable point for Japan against one of the tournament’s most highly regarded teams and provided a major boost to their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
More importantly, the result served as another reminder that Japan are capable of competing with the world’s elite on football’s biggest stage.
