The Flying Dutchmen and the giant-slaying Japanese came face to face to serve up one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far.
Let’s take a look at the 5 most entertaining, most beautiful moments of the occasion.
5. Moment — Samurai Clean Ltd.
It’s nothing new, yet somehow it always manages to feel fresh and surprising: after the final whistle, Japanese supporters make their way through the stands with bin bags, collecting every last piece of rubbish they generated during the match. The whole thing is so bizarrely normal in our otherwise thoroughly broken civilisation — like volunteers sneaking into the stands uninvited. And that’s before we even mention the fact that the Japanese players and staff leave their dressing room cleaner than it was before they walked in.
The whole thing is a heart-warming piece of evidence for just how much better and more civilised we could all live — if only we wanted to.
4. Moment — Zion Suzuki’s Save
It was only the third minute when Malen spun away from his defender and struck the ball — and struck it well — but the goalkeeper was there, and with a brilliant movement palmed it away.
3. Moment — Japan’s First Goal
I’ve placed Nakamura’s finish at number three — a goal that could easily have been flagged for offside, had the defender on the left not stayed put. But he did stay put, and that’s how Japan drew level.
2. Moment — Ville Ville Summerville
Second place goes to the second Dutch goal, where the West Ham 24-year-old winger curled the ball into the top right corner with textbook precision.
1. Moment — The Japanese Headers’ Pinball Machine
88th minute. A Japanese corner found the head of Koki Ogawa, who headed it onto the head of Kamada, who headed it home — sending the Dutch trudging back to the centre circle with their heads bowed. The pinball played out across Japanese heads reset the scoreboard to 2–2.
Stats Corner
For the most part, this match was a story of Dutch dominance — yet Japan had their moments too, showing they can defend deep, build attacks with structure, and press in compact, organised lines when needed.
In xG terms the two sides were close — 0.78 to 0.59 — with 6 Dutch shots on target to Japan’s 3. One more number worth throwing into the mix: 33 Dutch touches inside the penalty box, which is quite a tidy figure.
Cultural Moment:
A samurai cycling through Amsterdam in a pair of Dutch clogs.
Highlights | Netherlands 2-2 Japan | FIFA World Cup 2026™
