2026 World Cup: Japan snatches key 2-2 draw against the Netherlands

The matchup between the two best teams in Group F lived up to the hype, with the two teams playing to an entertaining 2-2 draw after a busy second half. The two teams stayed locked at 0-0 throughout the first half, as Japan's notoriously impenetrable defense held the Netherlands out of the attacking third completely. The Dutch, who held most of the possession in the half, were able to get a few good chances, but some excellent saves from Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki kept the game level heading into halftime. In the 51st minute, though, the Oranje finally broke through. After a well-defended Dutch free kick, Ryan Gravenberch sent in a long ball off the rebound, finding captain Virgil van Dijk for a beautiful header. That seemed to open the floodgates for both teams. Just six minutes later, Japan found its equalizer with a gorgeous strike from Keito Nakamura. Seven minutes after that, the Netherlands responded with Crysencio Summerville’s beautiful shot from the edge of the box. For a moment, the Netherlands re-took control, seemingly locking up a key victory. But in the final minutes, Japan turned up the heat on offense, looking for that equalizer. After multiple set piece opportunities, the Samurai Blue finally found it, with Koki Ogawa scoring off a corner kick to tie things up. This story will be updated.