Virgil van Dijk scores, but the criticism still follows him after Japan draw

Virgil van Dijk left Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan as both scorer and target. He headed the opener in the 51st minute, but the Dutch were pulled back by Keito Nakamura in the 57th minute and then by Daichi Kamada’s late equaliser in the 88th minute. The result gave Van Dijk a goal, yet it also put his defending under a fresh spotlight.

Why Dutch pundits went after Van Dijk

The harshest line came from Valentijn Driessen, who argued Van Dijk should “look at myself first” and said he was not blameless for Japan’s late goal. Rafael van der Vaart was even more brutal. “I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk,” he said. “A bit like a Boeing 747 turning.”

That criticism does not stand alone, though. Roy Keane called the header “absolutely fantastic” and described Van Dijk as “such a goal threat.” The numbers back up at least part of that view, with Van Dijk posting a 7.9 rating and playing the full 94 minutes. This was not a cameo with one moment attached to it, it was a full game in which he still made the decisive first strike.

What the rest of the Netherlands performance added

There was also a clearer Liverpool angle around Ryan Gravenberch, who supplied the cross for Van Dijk’s opener and helped set up Crysencio Summerville’s goal. He was praised for that influence, and his 7.2 rating reflected a cleaner night than the one Van Dijk received in the Dutch media.

Cody Gakpo was part of the same wider conversation too, but the focus stayed on Van Dijk because the captain scored first and still had to answer for the defensive end of the game. He said after the match, “We played against a Japan that kept it very compact. That was difficult. In the end, we start with a draw. We can certainly do better. Onto the next one.”

Van Dijk also took the chance to question hydration breaks, saying they should depend on the conditions and that they are not ideal every game. That debate can wait. The immediate issue is simpler: he scored, the Netherlands still drew, and the scrutiny was loud enough that his next game will start with the same questions still hanging over him.