Japan struck late from a corner to earn a brilliant 2-2 draw against Netherlands in the best game of the World Cup so far.Ronald Koeman’s side went ahead when Virgil van Dijk glanced a header into the far corner early in the second half but Japan were level six minutes later through Keito Nakamura’s strike from the edge of the box.Netherlands restored their lead when Crysencio Summerville whipped an excellent shot into the far corner and looked to be heading for victory until Daichi Kamada scored for Japan. A header from Koki Ogawa glanced off Kamada and bounced past the Dutch goalkeeper Bert Verbruggen with two minutes of normal time remaining.Jacob Whitehead, Carl Anka and Greg O’Keeffe analyse the talking points at the AT&T Stadium…This was the best match of the World Cup so farThis Group F match-up had been circled as one of the games of the group stages since the draw — with Netherlands’ eighth-place world ranking perhaps overselling their quality, and Japan’s 18th-place likely underselling their own.There have been excellent performances this World Cup — headlined by the United States’ demolition of Paraguay. There have been electric atmospheres too — the noise in Mexico City for the tournament’s opener was genuinely soul-stirring.But for the game itself, for its flow, tension, and level of execution? Japan’s late equaliser ensured that this was the best match of the World Cup so far.It was helped by a clash of styles; in many ways, Japan’s style is far closer to the Netherlands’ famous total football than the current iteration of Koeman’s side. Both teams were equally capable of playing with or without the ball, switching dominance throughout the match.With the possible exception of Brazil vs Morocco on Saturday, this was the first game involving major tournament contenders in which the result felt genuinely in the balance — and which featured two sides playing relatively close to their top levels.There have been justified fears that a 48 team World Cup will dilute the excitement of the group stage, and that may still be the case — but it is comforting to know that, even under this new format, that games like this can still emerge.Jacob WhiteheadHow important is Van Dijk for Netherlands?Virgil van Dijk has been at the heart of the Netherlands’ defence since 2015 — their second highest-scoring defender of all-time, tied with manager Ronald Koeman.