Sunday’s four-goal thriller at Dallas Stadium was one that started slowly but undoubtedly came to life in the second half. The Netherlands drew 2-2 against Japan thanks to goals from Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville that were then respectively canceled out by Keito Nakamura and Daichi Kamada. This was also a battle between two very high-skilled, fast-playing chess players that took some time to get going as the first half was played at a passive pace due to Japan’s uber-counter-attacking and defensive strategy and the Dutch’s inability to break through. But once the second half arrived, it was clear the message at the break to both dressing rooms was exactly the same: to play at a faster pace and to gamble. In the end, the excellent Japan — a team I have waxed lyrical about for a long time — rescued a point against the Netherlands, who failed to win the opening match at a World Cup for the first time in its history. Here are my takeaways: The 24-year-old winger scored his team’s second goal, and it was a wonderful left-footed shot from inside the box. Throughout the game, he showed lively runs that caused mayhem for Japan’s inverted fullbacks. For West Ham, he plays on the left wing but Koeman smartly placed him on the right and allowed him to cut inside with his quick decision-making. It’s amazing to think that, prior to this World Cup, he had never played a competitive game for the Netherlands before. Consequently, Ronald Koeman calls him up and after impressing, the manager not only takes him to the tournament, but starts him in the first match. Summerville repays the decision with a winning goal for this team. Speaking of West Ham, he won’t be there much longer as multiple clubs are very interested in him. If he carries on playing the same way he is doing, the sky will be the limit. After Summerville’s goal, the Dutch manager, a former defender himself, decided to shut shop — but there were still 26 minutes left, and that was a massive error from the Netherlands as Japan pushed for another equalizer. Crystal Palace’s Kamada capitalized from a corner in the 88th minute and fully deserved it. It’s a lesson for the UEFA side, who now realize that the best form of protection is to keep going. We all know about the imperial presence of Virgil Van Dijk as the Liverpool man is one of the best defenders in the history of the modern game. For his country, just like his club, everything begins and ends with him from the back, but just as shown today thanks to the opening goal, his aerial ability is often unmatched. There is no one who distributes the ball like him in the game. The overlapping strategy that came from Japan’s full backs when penetrating the final third, was also a problem for the Netherlands. Their wing backs play the role of wingers whenever they counter, trying to cross the ball as fast as possible. And the actual wingers cut inside to create an overwhelming line inside the Dutch box. The interesting thing is that all of Japan’s wide players are inverted (left wingers with a stronger right foot looking to come inside and vice versa but love to come inside, hence Nakamura’s goal. It was truly a hard-fought effort from both sides as defenders took center stage. The Netherlands will stay in Texas to face Sweden in Houston on Saturday whilst Japan travels to Tunisia a day later at Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe. This group is most definitely there for the taking.
