Netherlands 2-2 Japan: Kamada's 89th-Minute Header Denies the Dutch in Dallas
Japan came from behind twice at AT&T Stadium, with Daichi Kamada's headed touch in the 89th minute cancelling out Crysencio Summerville's second-half curler to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.
Japan refused to buckle beneath two Dutch leads in Dallas on Sunday, and the most unlikely reply of all came from Daichi Kamada in the 89th minute — a headed touch at the back post that bobbled through goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's hands and secured a 2-2 draw that leaves Group F wide open after the first round of fixtures.
The match was quiet for the opening 45 minutes, then extraordinary. Virgil van Dijk headed the Netherlands in front early in the second half, meeting Ryan Gravenberch's cross with the authoritative composure that defines his play. Japan's answer arrived within seven minutes: Keito Nakamura's shot deflected off Jan Paul Van Hecke and looped beyond Verbruggen, leaving the Dutch goalkeeper stranded. The pattern of the evening — Netherlands lead, Japan respond — had established itself.
Crysencio Summerville restored the Dutch advantage in the 64th minute with one of the cleanest goals of the tournament so far, curling the ball into the far corner with his left foot from a position that demanded both accuracy and nerve. For twenty minutes, Netherlands looked set to collect three points. Then the corner came.
In the 89th minute, Junya Ito whipped a delivery from the right; substitute Ogawa rose to meet it and headed goalward; Kamada, arriving late at the back post, got a final touch as the ball went in. The contact may have been instinctive rather than deliberate, but it counted. Japan — playing their tournament without the injured and retired Wataru Endo — had refused to be beaten.
The Netherlands, themselves without the injured Jurriën Timber, will feel they deserved more from a match in which they controlled 60 per cent of possession. But Japan's resilience, shown twice in the space of twenty minutes, is a statement of intent in a group that also includes Sweden and Tunisia. The Group F picture will be clearer when those sides conclude their opener — for now, it is all to play for.
Sources: ESPN — Japan fight back twice to snatch late draw vs. Netherlands · Sky Sports — Netherlands 2-2 Japan: Kamada's 89th-minute equaliser denies the Dutch in Dallas · NBC Sports — Netherlands 2-2 Japan: Recap, video highlights, analysis · FIFA — Netherlands vs Japan 2-2
