Koeman: Dutch hit 'minimal standard' vs. Japan
Key takeaways
- Daichi Kamada's 88th-minute strike salvaged a point for Japan as Oranje twice let a lead slip in front of 69,285 fans at AT&T Stadium.
- Virgil van Dijk headed Netherlands in front on 51 minutes before Keito Nakamura equalised six minutes later.
- Asked about his pre-tournament assertion that Netherlands were targeting a first-ever World Cup win and if they remained on track, he said: "It is our minimal standard, I should say.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Daichi Kamada's 88th-minute strike salvaged a point for Japan as Oranje twice let a lead slip in front of 69,285 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Virgil van Dijk headed Netherlands in front on 51 minutes before Keito Nakamura equalised six minutes later. Crysencio Summerville curled in a brilliant 64th-minute effort for his first Netherlands goal, but Kamada's intervention -- a moment of fortune as Koki Ogawa's goalbound header struck him -- means Koeman's side failed to win a World Cup match when twice holding a lead for the first time in their history.
Asked about his pre-tournament assertion that Netherlands were targeting a first-ever World Cup win and if they remained on track, he said: "It is our minimal standard, I should say. We need to grow during the tournament.