Final, 2-1: It’s over in Fortaleza. The Netherlands is moving on after a shocking, comeback victory.
Mexico’s elimination from the 2014 World Cup is a perfect example of how cruel this sport can be. “El Tri” was on course for a deserved victory until Sneijder leveled the score with an outstanding and well-timed moment of brilliance.
Mexico failed to recover from the psychological blow and couldn’t hold the Dutch at bay long enough to force the game into extra time. Marquez’s foul (and Huntelaar’s subsequent goal) marks an ignominious end to the tournament for a player and team that had performed so well until the last 15 minutes of the contest. Not even Ochoa, arguably the top goalkeeper at the 2014 World Cup, could save Mexico from the Dutch advance.
And so ends El Tri’s World Cup journey. It exits in the Round of 16 and suffers knockout-round heartbreak once again.
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The Netherlands will face either Costa Rica or Greece in the quarterfinal.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
90th minute +6, 2-1 Netherlands: Mexico goes in desperate search for a tying goal. Aquino tries a shot from the right, but Cillessen makes an easy save.
90th minute +3, 2-1 Netherlands: Mexico midfielder Guardado is cautioned.
90th minute +3, 2-1 Netherlands: Huntelaar converts the penalty kick, and the Netherlands have shockingly overturned Mexico’s lead and look bound for the quarterfinal.
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90th minute +2, 1-1: Marquez fouls Robben in Mexico’s penalty area, and the referee points to the spot.
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Marquez also is cautioned and will be suspended for the quarterfinal (should Mexico advance).
88th minute, 1-1: The Netherlands scores a dramatic equalizer, and Sneijder is the hero.
It came from a corner kick. Depay headed backward to Sneijder, who hit a powerful, perfectly placed shot past Ochoa to keep the Dutch World Cup hopes alive.
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85th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Ochoa makes another stunning save, this time on Huntelaar, but the Dutch striker was ruled offside.
81st minute, 1-0 Mexico: It’s hard to imagine the Netherlands scoring at this point. Mexico is defending with collective focus and determination, while the Netherlands struggle to find openings in “El Tri’s” half.
79th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Salcido looks to double Mexico’s lead but he shoots over the crossbar.
75th minute, 1-0 Mexico: The game halts temporarily, as the referee orders the players to take another water break.
75th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Mexico is making another substitution. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez replaces Peralta.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands makes its final change. Van Persie exits. Klaas Jan Huntelaar replaces the Dutch captain.
USA midfielder Jermaine Jones was Huntelaar’s teammate at German club Schalke 04 for several seasons.
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74th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Ochoa stymies Robben and continues to lead Mexico from behind.
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72nd minute, 1-0 Mexico: We were looking for Sneijder and finally found him. The Dutch midfielder shoots from outside of the area, but his shot sailed dozens of rows into the stands.
69th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Aguilar is cautioned for a foul on Depay. Aguilar will be suspended for the quarterfinal if Mexico advances.
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68th minute, 1-0 Mexico: The Netherlands wants a penalty kick after Robben tripped over Layun’s leg. The referee politely declines Robben’s request.
61st minute, 1-0 Mexico: Javier Aquino replaces dos Santos, as Mexico makes its second substitution.
61st minute, 1-0 Mexico: Dos Santos’ goal has shaken the Netherlands attack out of its slumber. The Dutch are surging forward and putting Mexico under pressure.
58th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Ochoa makes a fantastic reflex save on de Vrij’s shot.
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Ochoa contines his stellar play at the 2014 World Cup with this latest highlight-reel save.
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56th minute, 1-0 Mexico: The Netherlands makes a substitution, bringing on Memphis Depay for Verhaegh.
48th minute, 1-0 Mexico: Dos Santos scores a beauty, and Mexico has taken the lead.
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A Netherlands defender tried to head the ball out of danger, but it fell to Dos Santos. The Mexico forward held off Blind before unleashing a left-footed shot, which curled past the outstretched Cillessen and went into the goal.
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It was Dos Santos’ first goal for Mexico in over two years.
46th minute, 0-0: The second half is underway.
Diego Reyes replaced the injured Moreno at halftime.
Halftime, 0-0: That’s the end of the first half. Mexico and the Netherlands are tied.
Mexico will be happy with how it played in the first half. “El Tri” will be equally unhappy that its performance wasn’t rewarded with a goal. Amid the hot and humid conditions, Mexico controlled play throughout the half, and Layun, Salcido, dos Santos and Herrera each had good chances to open the scoring.
If Mexico remains as patient as it has been throughout the tournament, it has a good chance of advancing.
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De Jong’s absence has left a void in the center of the field. Martins Indi added another body to the back line, but his inclusion opens up space in the center of the field, where Herrera is roaming free for Mexico.
Whether by design or circumstance, the Netherlands is defending deep in its final third. Defensive errors have produced chances for Mexico. The Dutch either must eliminate those mistakes or play further up the field in order to avoid paying the ultimate penalty.
Expect the Netherlands to show more ambition going forward in the second half. Sneijder can be at the heart of it if he drops deeper into the midfield and influence play from there.
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45th minute +2, 0-0: Mexico makes a mistake at the back, and it nearly ends in calamity.
Rodriguez slipped as he tried to control Aguilar’s pass, allowing van Persie to intercept it and dribble toward the goal. Van Persie then passed to Robben, but Marquez and Moreno arrived in time to break up the play.
Now Moreno is down in the Mexico penalty area. The Mexico defender is being stretchered off the field.
45th minute, 0-0: We’ll have four minutes of added time in the first half.
42nd minute, 0-0: Dos Santos breaks free behind the Netherlands defense and shoots from a tight angle, but Cillessen makes a kick save at the near post.
39th minute, 0-0: The cooling break didn’t seem to disrupt the flow of the game in a major way.
Mexico remains confident and assertive. The Dutch are looking to gain a foothold in the contest and pick the right time and spot to attack.
30th minute, 0-0: The referee stops the game for two minutes so the players can drink water.
It’s 84 degrees (29 Celsius) with 68 percent humidity in Fortaleza, Brazil. It might be hotter on the field.
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28th minute, 0-0: Dos Santos shoots on goal. Cillessen saves it easily.
27th minute, 0-0: Dutch striker van Persie misses the target with his shot. It was his team’s first shot of the game.
Van Persie, the Netherlands’ all-time leading goal scorer, is feeling the pressure to deliver on this stage.
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24th minute, 0-0: Salcido fires a shot on goal from distance, but Cillessen saves it out for a corner.
Mexico has the Netherlands under immense pressure. El Tri is doing well by attacking from the wide areas and attempting long-range shots from central positions. De Jong’s injury is looming larger as the game progresses.
20th minute, 0-0: Mexico continues to threaten. This time Herrera nearly heads a shot towards the goal, but de Vrij and Verhaegh intervene at the last moment.
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17th minute, 0-0: Herrera fails to convert a golden opportunity into a goal.
Martins Indi failed to connect with a header, and it fell to Dos Santos, who set up Herrera, but the Mexico midfielder dragged his right-footed shot wide.
14th minute, 0-0: Layun creates more danger on the left side of Mexico’s attack. Layun hit a low cross into the goal mouth, but dos Santos failed to redirect it. It would have been a certain goal if he did.
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Mexico has started better than the Netherlands in terms of possession and territory, but the Dutch are dangerous on the counter-attack.
Ninth minute, 0-0: Netherlands holding midfielder de Jong leaves the game with an apparent injury. Bruno Martins Indi replaces de Jong.
De Jong’s injury could upset the Netherlands’ balance, as he was responsible for doing much of the dirty work in the midfield, while the likes of Sneijder, Robben, Kuyt and van Persie shine when attacking.
Martins Indi is a center back, so it looks like the Netherlands will go with five defenders, allowing the wingbacks more freedom to push forward. It’s a similar setup to Mexico’s.
Fifth minute, 0-0: Mexico comes out of the gate firing. Fullback Layun has twice missed the target with shots from outside of the Netherlands penalty area.
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First minute, 0-0: Mexico-Netherlands is underway.
Kickoff: The anthems have been sung, the fans are ready, and the game is set to begin.
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Pregame: Here are the lineups:
Netherlands
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Mexico
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11:30 a.m. ET: The Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup continues on Sunday with one of the showcase games of the tournament. The Netherlands faces Mexico at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The Netherlands became the first darlings of the 2014 World Cup when they blitzed Spain in their opener on June 13. The thrilling Dutch march continued with victories against Australia and Chile. The Netherlands reached the Round of 16 as winners of Group C.
Stingy defense and timely goal scoring has taken Mexico into the knockout rounds. Mexico out-fought Cameroon in its first game. It then held Brazil to a goalless stalemate thanks to Guillermo Ochoa’s heroic goalkeeping. Mexico defeated Croatia in its most recent game, which helped it advance to the knockout rounds as Group A runner-up.
Netherlands-Mexico pits two technically sound, up-tempo teams against one another. The winner will advance to the quarterfinal where it will face the winner of Greece-Costa Rica. The loser will exit the tournament after Sunday’s game.
The game kicks off at noon. Stay right here for all the action from the Estadio Castelao.
