NETHERLANDS Stekelenburg – 7 - The goalkeeper made a number of good saves throughout the match and was once again very reliable. His save on Okubo's shot was especially superb. Van der Wiel – 7 - Not as much involved in Oranje's attacking play as against Denmark, but still looked good on the day. He was dangerous on the occasions he went forward and was solid in his defensive duties. Mathijsen – 7 - Mathijsen put in quite a strong performance at the back. Hardly troubled by Japan forward Keisuke Honda and won the majority of his personal challenges. Heitinga – 7 – Heitinga formed a good defensive partnership with Mathijsen. Important in Oranje's build-up play, as he showed some good passing skills to set up the Dutch midfielders. Van Bronckhorst – 7 - The experienced defender showed some good timing to get forward on a number of occasions and was never really troubled at the back. Big improvement compared to Holland's first World Cup match. De Jong – 7 - The Manchester City man once again proved to be an important part of the Dutch team. Not afraid to put his feet in and made some good interceptions. Van Bommel - 8 - Van Bommel was the Oranje's star performer on the day. The holding midfielder provided excellent cover for his back four, showed some great passing and was his side's true leader on the pitch. Kuyt – 6 – The Liverpool man was largely anonymous throughout the match. Kuyt always worked hard, but he lacked the cutting edge to create something. Sneijder – 6.5 - Sneijder was again nowhere near his best form and couldn't leave his mark on the game. The Inter star did net the only goal of the match though with a powerful long range strike and is thus his side's hero. Van der Vaart – 5 - The tricky midfielder was again played out of position on the left wing and failed to live up to expectations. Was drawn to the centre of the pitch too often. Hooked for Elia after the break. Van Persie – 5.5 - The in-form striker was tightly marked by Tulio and wasn't the threat many expected him to be. Did play a big role in the build-up for the only goal of the match. Substitutes Elia – N/A Afellay - N/A Huntelaar - N/A JAPAN Kawashima – 6 - Was hardly tested in the first half of the match, but was kept busy after the break. Made two excellent saves to deny Afellay late on, but was at fault for the only goal of the match. Nagatomo – 7 - Functional game from the FC Tokyo player. Was never really stretched because his direct opponent Van der Vaart was in disappointing form. Made some dangerous runs forward. Nakazawa – 7 - The centre-back was one of his side's better performers and largely kept the Dutch forwards at bay. He was always willing to throw himself into a challenge and was never found to be grossly out of position. Tulio – 7.5 - The Brazilian-born defender did his job impressively, winning countless headers inside and outside of his own box. Made himself a nuisance going forward and always looked dangerous on set pieces. Komano – 6.5 - Certainly not very adventurous, but he did a fine job. Struggled to cope with Van der Wiel when the Dutch defender went forward, but dealt with the threat of Kuyt very comfortable. Abe – 7 - Tasked with the role of disrupting the Netherlands play in the centre of the midfield, there can be few quibbles about the performance of the Urawa Red Diamonds midfielder. Didn't give Sneijder any space to leave his mark on the match. Matsui – 6 - Was one of Japan's star players against Cameroon, but failed to make an impact against Oranje. Looked out of his depth on more than one occasion and will be quite disappointed with his performance. Honda – 6.5 - The CSKA Moscow star was pretty much the only attack-minded player on the pitch for the Blue Samurai before the break and couldn't trouble the Dutch defence. Did sent in some dangerous crosses with his left foot. Hasebe – 6 - Always quick to close his opponent down, though his passing was a little below par throughout the game. More is expected of the Wolfsburg star and he needs to improve if Japan are to survive the group stage. Endo – 6 - Looked lively enough when given the ball, but failed to make any offensive headway. Industrious, like all of his team-mates. His set pieces were not as precise as needed more than once. Okubo – 7 - The lone striker was starved of service up front for the majority of the game, but always worked hard and still unleashed some dangerous shots. Okubo was without a doubt his side's most dangerous player. Surprisingly substituted 15 minutes before full-time. Substitutes Nakamura - 6.5 - The veteran midfielder came off the bench halfway through the second half and did his utmost to add some creativity to Japan's game. Okazaki – N/A Tamada - N/A --

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