Netherlands coach Koeman defends tactics after frustration against Japan
SANTA CLARA, California, June 14 : Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman defended his tactics and substitutions after Dutch hopes of victory in their World Cup opener were foiled by a late Japan goal in the 2-2 draw on Sunday. Two well-taken goals by captain Virgil van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville either side of Keito Nakamura's conversion put the Netherlands in the lead twice but a deflected Daichi Kamada strike two minutes from time saw the spoils shared. Six minutes after Summerville's 64th-minute goal, Koeman took off the winger in a triple substitution and later added a third centre back in Nathan Ake. The more defensive setup backfired, though, with Japan seizing the initiative and Ogawa firing a header goalward to set up Kamada's equalising deflection. Koeman, however, said he had no regrets about his tactics and that shoddy defending was to blame. "There was also a problem with pressure on the flanks. So if you look at the game, both goals, well, we didn't defend well," he told reporters. "Football is a funny game because, after Japan scored the second goal, they started defending as well. "So we could have scored a third goal.
