Daichi Kamada’s lucky header in the 88th minute secured a thrilling 2-2 draw for Japan against the Netherlands on Sunday during the long-awaited Japan vs Netherlands World Cup match.
Kamada and his teammates were just minutes away from a loss in their World Cup opener, which wouldn’t have been surprising given their opponent.
His equalising goal will be cherished in Japan, especially if the team, riding some soccer momentum, makes it to the round of 16 again.
Kamada scored with a header from Koki Ogawa’s corner kick in the 88th minute, igniting excitement among the Samurai Blue fans and earning Japan a 2-2 draw against the higher-ranked Netherlands.
While the Dutch maintained their unbeaten streak at 17 games in group play, the orange-clad Oranje fans were left in shock by the late goal, bringing their group play record to 21-2-11 in the World Cup.
Summerville put the eighth-ranked Dutch ahead in the 64th minute, and Japan was losing hope when Ogawa delivered the corner that Kamada perfectly timed.
The ball slightly deflected on its way to Bart Verbruggen, who managed to touch it with a dive but couldn’t prevent it from going in.
In the 50th minute of the Japan vs Netherlands match, Van Dijk directed a header toward the far post from inside the penalty area, scoring his 13th international goal.
Nakamura responded just seven minutes later for 18th-ranked Japan, turning and firing a shot past Verbruggen from the left side of the arc after receiving a pass from Takefusa Kubo.
It is important to note that the Netherlands always faces pressure to advance to the elimination round, partly because it is the only nation to reach the final three times without winning the World Cup.
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