Netherlands and Japan settled for a 2-2 draw at Dallas Stadium in the World Cup opening clash following a goalless first half.
The first half was goalless, but straight after half-time, Virgil van Dijk made his mark as he netted with an assist by Ryan Gravenberch to give Netherlands the lead.
With 57 minutes on the clock Japan's Keito Nakamura found the net following a Takefusa Kubo assist to equalise.
Netherlands took the lead just seven minutes later as Crysencio Summerville found the net with an assist by Ryan Gravenberch.
The equaliser came when Daichi Kamada scored for Japan with an assist by Koki Ogawa. "I'm disappointed that we failed to win, but even though we fell behind twice, the players never gave up and fought hard together as a team. While earning only a point is a little disappointing, we managed to get a result through our collective effort. We defended patiently and then tried to be more aggressive going forward. The players executed what we had planned and prepared for," Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said about the well-fought draw.
The next World Cup games for Netherlands are Sweden on 20 June and Tunisia on 26 June. Japan play Tunisia on 21 June and Sweden on 26 June.
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