Ronald Koeman has declared that Netherlands' display in their 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday represents nothing less than the minimum they must produce if they are to lift the World Cup.

The Netherlands manager was measured in his assessment, framing the result not as a disappointment but as a baseline — the floor, not the ceiling, of what his squad is capable of delivering on the world stage.

Netherlands fought back to share the spoils with Japan in a contest that ended all square at 2-2, a result that underlined both the team's resilience and the work still ahead of them on the road to World Cup glory.

Koeman's message to his players was clear: matching this level is not enough to be champions — it is simply the starting point. The Dutch will need to go well beyond Sunday's showing if they harbour serious ambitions of winning football's biggest prize.