ARLINGTON, Texas — Ronald Koeman has said Netherlands’ performance in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Japan should be their “minimal standard” if they are to win the World Cup.
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.
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“We need to perform better. Of course, we would have preferred to win the first game and we were expecting it because we went ahead twice. It didn’t happen but it doesn’t mean that we now think that our performance was not good enough. I think there were quite a lot of positive moments during the game so the only way is up.”
Koeman made five substitutions with Netherlands 2-1 up including a triple change during the second half hydration break which saw Summerville, Donyell Malen and Tijjani Reijnders come off for Memphis Depay, Quinten Timber and Teun Koopmeiners.
They gradually conceded territory as Japan found a way back and asked if he regretted those changes in hindsight, Koeman said: “No, I have no regrets. I don’t think we gave the initiative away. Japan started to play differently.
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“During the first half, they couldn’t put the forward pressure on us, maybe because of their respect or fear for us, but after they were trailing, they were able to do so.
“After we scored the first goal, our defence started having difficulties. There was also a problem with pressure on the flanks. Both goals, we didn’t defend well.
“I am disappointed that we didn’t win, but that’s because we were ahead twice. Many people underestimate Japan, but for the 100,000 time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem.
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“You think that Japan’s strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the World Cup to see who’s right.”
Next up for Netherlands in Group F is a match against Sweden, while Japan play Tunisia in their second match.
