Japan earned a point in their opening World Cup group stage match, coming from behind twice to draw 2-2 with the Netherlands in Dallas. The result gave Japan a share of the points despite being pegged back on two separate occasions during the contest.
According to BBC Sport, it was a late header from Daichi Kamada that rescued the draw for Japan. The goal came after Japan had already fought back once, making it a resilient performance across the full ninety minutes. The Netherlands had led twice, but Japan refused to allow either advantage to hold.
The match marked the opening World Cup fixture for both nations in the 2026 tournament. Japan's ability to recover from a two-goal deficit on a split basis against a side of the Netherlands' caliber will be seen as an encouraging result heading into the rest of the group stage.
