Kamada’s Late Header Earns Japan a Dramatic 2-2 Draw Against the Netherlands

Daichi Kamada made history on Sunday by scoring a 88th-minute equalizer for Japan in a dramatic 2-2 draw with the Netherlands. The header came from a corner and helped hurt the Dutch chances of finishing first in the group. It was only Japan’s fourth headed goal ever in World Cup finals, and the second by a Japanese player after the 85th minute.

Kamada, a Crystal Palace midfielder, scored his 13th goal for Japan. Before this match, he had only one goal this season. The goal added a valuable point ahead of Japan’s remaining matches against Tunisia and Sweden.

Local media praised the move, with Nikkan Sports saying Kamada was “in the right place after the great action by Koki Ogawa” and noting that the corner “surprised” the defense. Yahoo! Sports Japan called him “fearless” and said Japan did not give up, which led to the result.

The article also noted that Japan, despite being considered a strong side, has reached the knockout stage in each of the last two World Cups but has never advanced to the quarterfinals. Dutch commentator Sander Jansen said the ball barely touched Kamada’s head, but still went in, and added that the play began with Ogawa, a fringe player in the Dutch league.