Read for 2 minutes15 June 2026 03:15 PM IST
Hydration breaks during each half of the 2026 FIFA World Cup were the talk of the tournament and have continued since its inception. Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said after their opening match of the tournament against Japan that he understands why spectators don’t like it and that it isn’t needed in every match.
“I find the hydration breaks really interesting. I watched almost all the games until today. I think going to commercial every time is a little bit, not something I like,” Van Dijk told reporters after the thrilling 1-1 draw.
“I think it’s not very good for neutrals watching on TV. So if it’s really hot it’ll be good to put them in but I think you have to look at each game individually I think. But I think I’ve said enough about that already.”
Van Dijk and Crisencio Summerville scored for the Dutch but Japan twice came back from behind. The match thus ended in a 2-2 draw, although the Netherlands held the three points for the majority of the match. Coach Ronald Koeman came under scrutiny after Summerville restored the Netherlands’ lead in the 64th minute with a triple substitution six minutes later. The Dutch manager then strengthened his defense by introducing a third centre-back, but Japan responded strongly and eventually equalized after constant pressure.
Despite the result, Koeman refused to second-guess his decisions. “There was also a pressing problem on the flanks,” he told reporters after the match, according to Reuters. “So if you look at the game, both goals, well, we didn’t defend well. “Football is a funny game because, after Japan scored the second goal, they started defending. So we could have scored the third goal. So I don’t regret my choice,” he added.