Netherlands marches on; Mexico heads out in pre-quarters yet again

Mexico failed to make it to the quarters for yet another year as Netherlands made a late comeback into the match to reach the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup 2014. The Dutchmen edged past the Mexicans 2-1 in a match where the both teams were equally matched.

Throughout the first 45 minutes it was Mexico who had the upperhand as  their attacks poured into the Dutch defense. Holland keeper Cillessen was kept busy mostly throughout the first half as he had to make important saves from Giovanni Dos Santos to keep the Dutch in the game. Netherlands also got an opportunity very late in the first half when a defensive error let the ball go into Van Persie’s path but the defense regrouped quickly enough to prevent the damage. And it stayed where it all began; tied at 0-0.

Mexico made a strong start to the second half taking the lead within 3 minutes of the restart. Dos Santos was the scorer and it was one great finish where the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop it before going past him. Having gone behind for the third time in four matches, Netherlands slowly started dominating the game. However Robin Van Persie looked completely out of touch which made the Dutch suffer a lot. Such was the condition that Van Gaal had to replace him Klaas Jan Huntelaar with time running out fast. Holland increased the pressure immensely as Guillermo Ochoa once again became the man to beat in the goal as he made a couple of excellent saves to keep the scoreline intact. Eventually it paid off for the Dutch. Wesley Sneijder was the man. It was a moment of relief for the Men in Orange when Sneijder’s shot found the back of the net with 6 minutes left on the clock. Ochoa had nothing to do as it went in like a tracer bullet. Finally it was 1-1. And it seemed that Netherlands might find a late winner. And they did so. Robben earned a penalty in the 92^nd minute of the match when Mexican captain Rafael Marquez made a challenge just inside the touchline inside the penalty area. Huntelaar took the responsibility to put his team ahead and book their berth in the quarterfinals. He did it with great ease as the Mexican dream making it to the quarterfinals got shattered.

Netherlands will be playing against the winner of the game between Costa Rica and Greece in the quarterfinals. And they are looking good. May be it’s a bit too early to predict, particularly in this world cup which has seen so many upsets. Still hopes can built around this Dutch team as they have players who can turn it around in any moment of a match. Also Van Gaal’s presence in the sidelines will be very crucial with tougher opponents set to come in the later stage of the tournament.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.