Updated: Tuesday June 04, 2002 09:06 AM ET	Tue June 4 Games Costa Rica 2 China 0 - FINAL Japan 2 Belgium 2 - FINAL South Korea 2 Poland 0 - FINAL
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Belgium 2, Japan 2

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SAITAMA, Japan (Ticker) -- Japan maintained the unbeaten record of World Cup hosts in their opening matches, but it could have been more.

Peter van der Heyden flipped home the equalizer with 16 minutes left as Belgium pulled out a 2-2 draw against co-host Japan in the opening Group H matchup.

A remarkable 15-minute flurry in the second half which produced all four goals was sparked by Belgium captain Marc Wilmots, who buried the spectacular opener in the 57th minute with a bicycle kick.

But just two minutes later Japan tied the match as Takayuki Suzuki nudged an opportunist's effort past goalkeeper Geert de Vlieger, who seemed to hesitate when charging off of his line.

Much to the delight of the lively home crowd, Junichi Inamoto collected a pass from midfield, dribbled past Eric van Meir en route to the penalty area and fired the ball past de Vlieger to give Japan a 2-1 lead against a seemingly tiring Belgian side.

"When Junichi Inamoto got the ball, I was frightened that I would get a red card if I tried to tackle him, so I let him go," van Meir said.

That gave Belgium coach Robert Waseige cause for concern.

"When the Japanese team was leading, it was a surprise ... no one expected that," he said. "But my team had a good spirit and came back after having lost control to the Japanese team."

The co-host's defense faltered, though. A long pass from midfield allowed van der Heyden to spring the Japanese offside trap and flick the ball over goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki.

Host countries have posted a 12-0-5 record all time in World Cup openers.

"It's a historic point as it is our first point in a World Cup," Japan coach Philippe Troussier said. "We played for the win with courage, quality and composure. Everyone knows we are the challenger in the group. I am satisfied with the result."

The pressure remains great for Japan to advance to the second round, a feat every previous host nation has managed. But Troussier thinks his side handled the burden well during the match.

"The reaction was incredible, especially when you put it into context our opening game of the FIFA World Cup," he said. "I was worried that the team would be paralyzed by the event, but actually they we played with composure and quality."