German economist Joachim Klement’s mathematical model has successfully predicted the winner of every World Cup since 2014, and this year, he forecasts the Netherlands to triumph over Portugal in the final,” notes Andre Goudie. “German economist Joachim Klement’s mathematical model has predicted the winner of every World Cup since 2014, and this time he’s predicting the Netherlands to beat Portugal in the final,”
That slippery creature has been making predictions for years. And as for Paul the Octopus, etc.
(But honestly, three consecutive correct predictions are quite convincing. If I had a farm, I’d be inclined to place my bets on the Netherlands.)
For David Narey against Brazil in 1982, think Livano Comencia against Germany in 2026. Don’t provoke the beast!
The New York Knicks’ NBA success may seem irrelevant to the World Cup, yet it currently forms an integral part of the 2026 World Cup narrative.
William MacGregor, 41, from Dumbarton, expressed the post-goal atmosphere as “I’m all for a bit of maths, but in this case I think I’d prefer my predictions done by an octopus.”
“bouncing … Drinks were flying everywhere when the goal went in. Not mine, I kept mine.” states James Humphries. “Thoroughly looking forwards to this,”, in tones typically used to inform family members of news that could be worse but still isn’t great. “Japan are great fun every time I watch them and my understanding is that the Dutch aren’t defensively at their best, so could be the game of the tournament so far.”
Cheerful wastoids? Japan? Something along those lines.
The obscure link between King Lear and the 1966 World Cup is little known, primarily because it affected very few individuals at a now-closed boarding school. I had been unexpectedly selected to portray a role in the school’s production of Lear (yes, I played the Fool; yes, I was typecast). The day before one of the performances, I fell and twisted something and was uncertain about my ability to perform a part that required a lot of energy.
Matron prescribed sleeping pills. That night, England played Mexico in that now-legendary tournament – it was almost a must-win after a goalless start against Uruguay. I went to bed early, tucked my transistor radio under the pillow to catch the commentary, fell asleep, and only learned the result the following morning: England 2 Mexico 0. The rest is history.
Ronald Koeman maintains the same lineup that defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the Netherlands’ final pre-tournament friendly. Memphis Depay, who has recovered, will start on the bench.
Nine of the Japan XI that began their victory at Wembley in March return. The exceptions are Takefusa Kubo and Celtic’s Daizen Maeda, who replace Junya Ito and the sadly injured Kaoru Mitoma. The World Cup is significantly poorer without his presence.
Netherlands (4-3-3) Verbruggen; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Gravenberch, De Jong, Reijnders; Summerville, Malen, Gakpo.
Subs: Roefs, Flekken, Geertruida, Ake, Wieffer, Hato, De Roon, Kluivert, Til, Q Timber, Koopmeiners, Weghorst, Depay, Lang, Brobbey.
Japan (3-4-2-1) Z Suzuki; Watanabe, Taniguchi, H Ito; Doan, Sano, Kamada, Nakamura; Kubo, Maeda; Ueda.
Subs: Osako, Hayakawa, Sugawara, Itakura, Nagatomo, Seko, Tomiyasu, J Suzuki, Tanaka, K Ito, Y Suzuki, Machino, Goto, Ogawa, Shiogai.
Referee Ismail Elfath (USA)
In 2002, Japan felt they had slightly missed an opportunity. While South Korea benefited from some favorable refereeing, they also impressed with their speed, technical ability, and tactical flexibility, advancing to the semi-final of their home World Cup.
Japan performed well, finishing at the top of their group before being eliminated 1-0 by Turkey in the last 16, but the contrast with their co-hosts was inevitably disappointing.
Although Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo earned transfers to PSV based on their performances, subsequently joining Manchester United and Tottenham, Japan already had four players in European clubs. However, one of them, Junichi Inamoto, had briefly returned to Gamba Osaka from his loan at Arsenal before moving to Fulham, where he never played a league match under Arsène Wenger. His next permanent transfer was to West Brom, where he struggled to make an impact.
The unfortunate Japanese journalist assigned to cover him became a figure of sympathy. The final question of each of Bryan Robson’s pre-match press conferences would always be him politely inquiring about Inamoto’s training progress – until, after nearly two years, he finally snapped and, in despair, asked.
“So, um, what… what was I talking about, again?”
Germany is cruising to victory over Curacao in today’s first game. But regardless of the score, this match will be remembered for the most significant moment of Livano Comenencia’s career.
“GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! Germany 1-1 Curacao (Comenencia 21) Do not adjust your screen! This is actually happening! And you know what? It’s almost been coming! Again, Curacao attacks, slipping a pass into the box, and when the ball breaks to Locadia, he shoots. The effort is blocked, but Comenencia arrives, his shot flicks off Kimmich, the deflection takes it over Neuer’s hands, and CURACAO HAVE LEVELLED IT AGAINST GERMANY! THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT, AND IMAGINE THE SOUTH CARIBBEAN RIGHT ABOUT NOW!
“GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! Germany 1-1 Curacao (Comenencia 21)
Japan is at a stage where discussing “Mr Robson, why do you pick Darren Carter?” no longer invites mockery. Their historic victories over Germany and Spain in 2022 demonstrated their ability to achieve far more than a fleeting upset. Under head coach Hajime Moriyasu, who has been in charge for nearly eight years, the team has developed into a unit capable of not just surviving against elite teams but defeating them as well. This was reinforced by victories against Brazil in October and England at Wembley in March.
The expected formation is a 3-4-2-1, although Japan also tested a 3-1-4-2 against England, displaying tactical adaptability based on the opposition. Pressing aggressively from the front is crucial, with players like Takefusa Kubo, Ritsu Doan, Keito Nakamura, and Junya Ito adept at applying pressure on their opponents.
Expectations are high back home, and former Japan coach Akira Nishino, who led the team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, comments on the current squad.
“It’s not about individuals acting like egoists. This group of players fight together and within that unity, individuality emerges. There is a strength in these ‘Japanised’ individuals.”
This team genuinely believes they can win the World Cup.
Has Ronald Koeman ever faced more challenges at the start of a major tournament? Probably not. Known as an extremely ambitious perfectionist, this World Cup’s preparations have been the most difficult of his tenure as national team head coach.
Injuries are part of the game, but they become a significant issue when nearly half the starting XI is either ruled out entirely or sidelined for months leading up to a major tournament. In the spring, Koeman stated he would only select players who were fully fit and actively playing, but that stance became increasingly difficult to uphold.
Tottenham’s Xavi Simons suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in April and is not expected to return until next year. PSV midfielder Jerdy Schouten is also on the mend from the same injury. Matthijs de Ligt, who often partners with Virgil van Dijk in central defense, has not regained full fitness after a back issue.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong missed most of the season, Inter’s Denzel Dumfries was sidelined for four months. Manchester City’s Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Aké frequently found themselves on the bench, while Memphis Depay sustained a serious hamstring injury at the end of his season in Brazil.
Hello, how do you do, and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Netherlands versus Japan in Texas. This matchup is one of the most intriguing in the group stage, a contest between two teams eager to make their mark at the World Cup.
The Netherlands is arguably the best team never to win the World Cup and undoubtedly the only team to lose three finals without securing a victory. Japan is likely the best team never to reach the quarter-finals.
They seem well-positioned to correct that particular oversight. Since concluding their qualification campaign a year ago, Japan has won nine of their 12 matches, including their first victories over Brazil and England. Now they are aiming for their inaugural triumph over the Netherlands.
If Japan is the choice of the hipster at this World Cup, the Netherlands continues to fly under the radar. Their squad may lack the star power of more renowned Dutch teams, but their recent performance has been impressive. They lost to the eventual champions Argentina in the last World Cup quarter-final and engaged in a fierce battle with England before falling in a dramatic Euro 2024 semi-final.
This group is challenging, including Sweden and Tunisia, so a draw tonight would be a satisfactory outcome for both the Netherlands and Japan. Let’s hope they aren’t approaching it that way.
Kick-off is at 3pm local time/4pm EDT/9pm BST.
