Koeman doesn't regret substitute choices after Dutch see lead slip twice to Japan

[p]Two well-taken goals by captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-dijk-virgil/U59RNqOr/"]Virgil van Dijk[/a] ‌and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/summerville-crysencio/EaRET7t6/"]Crysencio Summerville[/a] either side of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nakamura-keito/ttEUhyfq/"]Keito Nakamura[/a]'s conversion ‌put the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] in the lead twice but a deflected [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kamada-daichi/bayITLyE/"]‌Daichi Kamada[/a] strike two minutes from time saw the ‌spoils shared.[/p][p]Six minutes after Summerville's 64th-minute goal, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koeman-ronald/vHeYAvb2/"]Koeman[/a] took off the winger in a triple substitution and later added a third centre ‌back in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ake-nathan/6LBvaQoh/"]Nathan Ake[/a].[/p][p]The more defensive ⁠setup backfired, though, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]‌Japan[/a] seizing the initiative and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ogawa-ryoya/dpxg9jM8/"]Ogawa[/a] firing a header goalward to ​set up Kamada's equalising deflection. Koeman, however, said he had no regrets about his tactics and that ​shoddy defending was to blame.[/p][p][b]"There was also a problem with pressure on the flanks. So if you look at ⁠the game, both goals, ​well, we didn't defend well," he told reporters. [/b][/p][p][b]"Football is a funny game because, after Japan scored the second goal, they started defending as well. "So we could have scored a third ‌goal. So I don't regret my choices."[/b][/p][image alt="Netherlands - Japan match momentum" id="97244e4f-d97f-44f3-8e13-887432e0be2a" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="79e09b46-b6c4-476c-917d-6ed0b20c35f6" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]A day after declaring [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/depay-memphis/zo1h8MrD/"]Memphis Depay[/a] as fit to start after recent thigh trouble, Koeman had the Netherlands' all-time top goal-scorer come off the bench in the second half, replacing the lively Donyell Malen. Depay earned a yellow card for a rough challenge and was unable to make a difference. [/p][p]The Netherlands, quarter-finalists at Qatar 2022, have nearly a week's break before ‌they face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] in their second Group F match in ​Houston.[/p][p]Koeman said the Netherlands played at a "minimal ‌standard" against the Japanese and accused the media of under-rating their Asian opponents.[/p][p][b]"Of course we can perform better and we need to grow during the tournament," he said. [/b][/p][p][b]"This definitely was not our best performance. "Of course, we would ⁠have preferred to win ⁠the first game. We ‌expected to."[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/japan-ULXPdOUj/netherlands-WYintcWb/?mid=4SV9xFBO"]Read the match report with Flashscore.[/a][/p]