GENK, Belgium (AP) Japan fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands on Saturday in a friendly between two World Cup qualifiers.
Veteran Rafael van der Vaart scored a goal and set up another to give the Netherlands an early lead. But Keisuke Honda helped Japan fight back with the kind of intricate, sparkling play more associated with the Dutch and was unlucky not to win.
After Van der Vaart's opener in the 12th minute, Arjen Robben scored the second in the 38th. Japan scored its first ever goal against the Dutch through Yuga Osako in the 43rd minute and Honda equalized on the hour.
"They even could have made it 3-2. Fortunately for us, it didn't happen," Dutch coach Louis van Gaal said.
The Netherlands plays Colombia in Amsterdam on Tuesday while Japan moves to Brussels to face Belgium.