Virgil van Dijk has hit back at claims Holland were too defensive and negative as they tried to see out their 2-1 lead over Japan.
In doing so, Oranje conceded with just one minute of normal time left to play as Daichi Kamada snatched Samurai Blue a big point in their Group F opener at the Dallas Stadium.
Dutch TV pundits Wim Kieft, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Rafael van der Vaart were not impressed with the tactical approach after Crysencio Summerville’s strike and suggested Ronald Koeman instructed his men to sit deep.
Player of the Match Van Dijk refutes such claims, stating: “It’s frustrating that the goal then comes from a set piece because we kept it tight well.
“It was difficult to play through them [in the first half], because Japan was very compact. Especially in the middle of the field, they completely locked it down. Then you have to switch sides faster.”
Van de Vaart does not have much sympathy for the Netherlands after they were left to lick their wounds. The former Tottenham playmaker said during his TV punditry: “You kind of brought this upon yourself. It was just starting to look a bit promising, and then suddenly it became very defensive.”
Ex-Holland striker Van Hooijdonk agreed, adding: “You drop back, but with Summerville and [Donyell] Malen you take all the speed out of it. Then you have absolutely no weapons left.
“Koeman tried to rectify that with [Brian] Brobbey, because with [Memphis] Depay up front you ended up playing even further away.”
View 2 ImagesJapan snatched a late equaliser to stun the Netherlands in their World Cup opener in Dallas
Boss Koeman says he “can live with the result” though Holland will now be under extra pressure to perform against Sweden in their second fixture.
He said: “It is a shame that the 2-2 came from a corner. But I can live with that. The result is the most important thing. Japan is a very strong, good team. I can live with it. There are plenty of things to learn from. I also saw some very good things.”
The Netherlands took the lead when Van Dijk powered home a 50th-minute header in off the post.
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West Ham attacker Summerville then fired Oranje back ahead after Keito Nakamura had levelled before Kamada equalised with a fortuitous header.
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