FIFA World Cup 2026 | 'It’s disappointing...': Netherlands' captain Virgil Van Dijk on draw against Japan

Daichi Kamada and his Japanese teammates were minutes away from a World Cupopening loss that wouldnrsquot have been unexpected considering the opponentHis tying goal will be remembered for a long time in his homeland especially if the country with some soccer momentum reaches the round of 16 againRonald KoemanKamada scored on a header off Koki Ogawarsquos corner kick in the 88th minute sending the Samurai Blue fans into a frenzy and giving Japan a 22 draw with the higherranked Netherlands on SundayWhile the Dutch extended their unbeaten streak to 17 games in group play the orangeclad Oranje supporters were stunned by the late goal that left them at 21211 in group play at the World CupJapanrsquos Keito Nakamura celebrates his goal against Netherlands on SundayVirgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scored off each post for the Netherlands early in the second half while Keito Nakamura had a goal between those as part of a threegoal flurry in just 14 minutesA mostly uneventful first half changed quickly after the break for a crowd evenly split at ATampT Stadium the home of the Dallas Cowboys with the retractable roof that offered relief from the muggy Texas heat and the giant video board that fans had a hard time keeping their eyes offHajime MoriyasuldquoItrsquos disappointing now because obviously conceding the lead is never goodrdquo said Van Dijk the secondoldest Dutch goal scorer in a World Cup at 34 years 341 days behind Giovanni van Bronckhorst at 35 and 151 against Uruguay in 2010 ldquoItrsquos extra disappointing that we conceded from a set piece so late onrdquo he addedThe Dutchrsquos most recent loss before the elimination round came the last time the World Cup was in the USA in 1994 when a group play defeat was followed by a quarterfinal loss to Brazil at the Cotton Bowl in DallasThe pressure is always on the Netherlands to reach the elimination round in part because itrsquos the only country to reach the final three times without winning the World CupA draw to open Group F which includes Sweden and Tunisia wonrsquot ease that pressure on coach Ronald Koeman who faced several pointed questions about strategy and shot back with cryptic replies The Dutch beat Japan in their only other World Cup meeting in 2010 ldquoIrsquom disappointed that we didnrsquot win but thatrsquos because we were ahead twicerdquo Koeman saidldquoMany people underestimated Japan but for the 100000th time if you underestimate them thatrsquos your problem You think Japanrsquos strength was overexaggerated before the match Letrsquos wait until the end of the tournament to see whorsquos rightrdquo Koeman added34 years 341 daysVirgil van Dijkrsquos age he became the second oldest goalscorer for Netherlands in a World Cup game after Giovanni van Brockhorst in 2010 35 years and 151 daysOneNo of times Netherlands have taken the lead twice but failed to win a World Cup gameThreeNo of consecutive games Japan have gone undefeated in the World Cup mdash their jointbest streak alongside their run in 2002 OneNo of losses for Netherlands against an Asian opponent at the World Cup across six matchesNineNo of goals scored by Japan in the second half across their 10 World Cup goalsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever