The defender of the Netherlands national team, Virgil van Dijk, commented on the Japan team's performance at the 2026 World Cup. In the first game of group F, the Asian team drew with the "Orange" (2-2). "I think the world underestimated Japan a little, they are a great team. This game promised to be difficult from the start. The reaction after the game was a little... I wouldn't say disrespectful, but... Japan were unbeaten for a long time, they didn't concede a goal for a while, they beat Brazil, England and Scotland. That's never easy. The draw, with a goal conceded at the end, leaves, of course, a bitter taste. But there were many positive points in this game, and that's what we're building our strategy this week. I think today's game against Sweden showed that we did well, especially in the first half of both halves. In the end, it's all about winning, we won 5-1 and we'll move on to the next game," van Dijk told the official FIFA website. In the second game, the Asian team beat Tunisia 4-0. So far, the Netherlands and Japan have four points, occupying first and second place in group F, respectively. Sweden, with three points, occupies third place, while Tunisia has yet to score points and is in fourth place. The group stage runs from the 11th to the 27th of June, with each team playing three matches. The two best teams in each group, as well as the eight teams that finish in third place, will advance to the playoffs.