This Group F match-up had been circled as one of the games of the group stages since the draw, with Netherlands’ fifth-place world ranking perhaps overselling their quality, and Japan’s 18th-place likely underselling theirs.
There have been justified fears that a 48 team World Cup would dilute the excitement of the group stage, and that may still be the case — but it is comforting to know, even under this new format, that games like this can still emerge early on.
📝 @jwhitey98
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