Japan holds the Netherlands to a draw in the World Cup!
What a match! For those who even have a slight interest in football, the World Cup is a time for anticipation, excitement, disappointment, and many more emotions.
Japan played the Netherlands in a group stage match and the result was 2-2 (a draw).
In this episode I read through the coverage of the match on BBC Sports. Even to those not obsessed with sports, there were many useful phrases which could apply to everyday life, business, and more.
Good luck to Japan as they continue in the World Cup!
Jamie
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00:00:00 - Hello and welcome to another episode of Wake Up to English. Monday, the 15th of June. Yesterday's date and today I spoke about a World Cup match — Japan against the Netherlands.
00:00:12 - I watched it myself, it was very exciting indeed. So I thought I would look at a news article from BBC Sport. Even if you're not into it 100%, I recommend checking it out, there's some useful phrases.
00:00:25 - So let's now head over to the website together and I'll share some of my thoughts and my reactions to the game. OK, see you over there.
00:00:37 - Hello, it's Jamie back with you again. It's Monday, 15th of June. And today I thought I would cover a match that took place yesterday. It was Japan against the Netherlands.
00:00:51 - The World Cup 2026 took place in Texas. And yeah, usually I don't cover sport on this podcast, but I thought it would be interesting. Of course, I have a big interest in Japan anyway, but I watched the match and it was an amazing spectacle.
00:01:09 - So I found an article, it's on the BBC I think it's open to everyone, so we can go through it, pick out some good phrases. And yeah, I recommend you watch the highlights. It was really exciting to watch.
00:01:24 - OK, so this is on BBC Sport and it's kind of a summary of what happened. You can see the full time score here: Netherlands 2, Japan 2.
00:01:34 - All right, so I'm moving down just below this video highlights and it says at a glance. OK, I'll read through these bullet points.
00:01:45 - Virgil van Dijk heads the Netherlands in front after 51 minutes. Heads being a verb here, meaning they headed the ball. They use their head to score.
00:01:59 - Kato Nakamura equalises for Japan 6 minutes later. Really dramatic. It was incredibly dramatic.
00:02:07 - Crisencio Somerville restores the Netherlands lead with a superb low finish after 64 minutes. Daiichi Kamada strikes with two minutes left to earn a point for Japan.
00:02:18 - So because it's a draw, they get one point each in the group stage.
00:02:24 - OK, let me read through a little bit, and we'll pause for any useful words or phrases.
00:02:29 - Daiichi Kamada's late header rescued a deserved point for Japan against the Netherlands in their opening World Cup game in Dallas, Texas.
00:02:39 - One of the most anticipated games in the tournament's group stages, was a slow burner. So it really was a slow burner. It took a while to get going. The first half, not much happened at all, really.
00:02:54 - So if you see this phrase "slow burner", it's burning slowly. It's taking a long time to become exciting before developing into a second-half thriller.
00:03:07 - After the Dutch side's Premier League contingent looked to have them set on their way to an important victory. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and West Ham United forward Crisencio Somerville were on target before Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada struck with a deft header.
00:03:38 - So "deft", that's a word that you might not see very often, and it's a very skillful kind of movement. Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements. Deft piece of footwork.
00:03:48 - Deft header to divert Koki Ogawa's effort with two minutes left and secure a draw.
00:03:56 - Ronald Koeman's side posed a greater threat in a subdued first half. Yeah, definitely subdued. So subdued here — like calm. Not much happened. Some might see it as uneventful or perhaps boring, especially for sports.
00:04:12 - With Daniël Malen the main danger, forcing 3 saves from Japan keeper Zion Suzuki, the game burst into life after the restart.
00:04:23 - Great little phrase there — "burst into life". The thing that comes to mind is spring. After winter, when all the nature around you might be dormant — trees without leaves — suddenly in spring everything bursts into life.
00:04:42 - So the game burst into life after the restart.
00:04:46 - Captain van Dijk heading the Dutch in front after 51 minutes with a precise header from Liverpool teammate Ryan Gravenberch's cross.
00:04:58 - By the way, these names, I've heard some of them before, but I might be mispronouncing. It's one of the great skills of a football commentator that they learn them.
00:05:09 - So yes, Japan were never out of contention. Out of contention, meaning that they were never out of the game and they were level 6 minutes later.
00:05:23 - Kato and Nakamura's low shot carried too much power for the Dutch keeper.
00:05:34 - You can tell that it was a slower first half and then the second half was eventful, incredibly dramatic and it was this real back and forth.
00:05:48 - So the Netherlands got a goal, Japan equalised again. Netherlands. And then towards the end, Japan equalised again.
00:05:57 - Japan continued to press. So they put pressure on people. They pushed, pressing, pushing and got their reward through Kamada to the delight of the thousands of Samurai Blue fans who were in Dallas to support their country.
00:06:14 - Japan spirit earned reward. I really did think the determination and the spirit of Japan was remarkable because the Netherlands are certainly no easy opponent to face. Defensively, they were very good, but Japan never gave up.
00:06:44 - Japan have been labeled as World Cup dark horses. That is a great description. So a dark horse is an underdog in a way. It's a competitor that you do not expect to win, showing their quality.
00:07:05 - Unfortunately for me, although it is a bit difficult to decide who to support. But England is my main team. Of course, Japan close second.
00:07:18 - And in this entertaining opening Group F game, they showed all the qualities to suggest they can make a big impact in the tournament.
00:07:30 - From the Dutch side, they will see this as a big opportunity missed. It's certainly true. The Netherlands should have won but they didn't.
00:07:45 - The Netherlands next game in Group F is against Sweden. Japan face Tunisia.
00:07:53 - Player of the match Nakamura 7.56. Of course, I won't bore you with the details, but safe to say it was a great match and if you are interested even slightly in sports, I recommend the highlights.
00:08:10 - With all of these World Cup matches, it's really difficult to choose because it's impossible to watch them all.
00:08:20 - But when you see a game like this 2-2, it looks like it was a boring game. But actually, no — it's for the drama, tenacity. They were fighting and fighting, the Japanese side.
00:08:37 - Anyway, that's pretty much all that I have to say about this. I'm looking forward to Japan's other matches and England, of course.
00:08:51 - I always have high hopes for England, but high hopes can lead to big disappointment indeed.
00:09:01 - OK, so I think next time I'll get back to a normal article, but if there are any other interesting events in the World Cup, perhaps I will cover them again.
00:09:15 - And even if you're not really interested in sport, there are some phrases in it which are used in everyday English. So I do recommend from time to time looking at some news articles, some sport news articles. You can pick up a few things. Certainly.
00:09:20 - OK, well, that's everything from me today. Next I'll be with you on Wednesday. So please enjoy the rest of your day, whatever you are doing.
00:09:29 - OK, see you next time. Thank you very much. Take care. Bye bye.
