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| Jan Klaas Huntelaar celebrates after his penalty goal |
DW
The Dutch have mounted a shock comeback against Mexico to reach the
World Cup quarterfinals. What looked like a sure El Tri win was turned
around in the final minutes by a vicious volley and a controversial
penalty.
Late goals from Wesley Sneijder and Klaas Jan Huntelaar finished off
Mexico 2-1 in Fortaleza on Sunday. After taking a 1-0 lead early in the
second half, Guillermo Ochoa's excellent goalkeeping looked like it
would lead El Tri to victory. But the tired Mexicans had their hearts
broken in the final moments, crashing out in the Round of 16 for the
sixth straight World Cup.
After three wins in the group stage, Sunday's match was the first time
Louis Van Gaal's side was tested in the brutal Brazilian heat and
humidity. It was an ominous beginning for the Oranje against Mexico,
with lynchpin midfielder Nigel de Jong going off after just nine minutes
with an injury.
The first hour of the game was dominated by Mexico, who looked much more
decisive in the final third. Giovanni Dos Santos, Oribe Peralta and
Hector Herrara were a dangerous combination, while Robin Van Persie and
Arjen Robben looked isolated in the Dutch front line.
Dos Santos gave Mexico a deserved lead three minutes into the second
half with a brilliant effort from the top of the box. Firing back across
goal on the run, it was the best effort of the tournament from Mexico's
number 10.
As the match wore on, however, it was the side from the Americas, not
Europe, that appeared to tire. Ochoa put in yet another world class
performance in goal for the Mexicans, but it was only a matter of time
before the Dutch pulled one back.
The equalizer finally came in the 88th minute. A ball into the area was
headed to the top of the box by Huntelaar, and Ochoa could only stand
and watch as Sneijder rocketed a low volley into the back of the net.
The Netherlands sealed their quarterfinals berth in injury time, when
Mexico captain Rafa Marquez appeared to trip Robben in the penalty box.
Replays showed the Bayern Munich winger sold the call, but Marquez made
contact with his foot nonetheless. Huntelaar duly buried the spot kick,
eliminating Mexico.
"That's what you dream of as a young boy - to come back and score the
deciding goal," Huntelaar said after the match. "It's simply fantastic."
It was a bitter defeat for Miguel Herrara's side, which looked set to be
just the latest country to get the best of a European team in Brazil.
It is the Netherlands who advance, however, thanks to the most-dramatic
comeback of the World Cup so far.
