Netherlands hit 'minimal standard' vs. Japan, Koeman says - ESPN

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.

»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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