© JumpStory
On Sunday in Brazil, another round of the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals took place. The Dutch national team miraculously expanded their victory at the end of the match and secured a spot in the quarterfinals against Mexico. In the first half, the Mexicans appeared more aggressive, putting pressure on their European opponents from the very beginning of the match. Miguel Layun made the first attempt at goal from a distance, but his shot flew wide of the Dutch goal. At that time, the start of the match did not promise anything good for Louis van Gaal. In the 9th minute, Nigel De Jong left the field due to injury, replaced by Bruno Martins Indi. The Dutch players struggled to create threatening attacks, while the Mexicans continued to press the world runners-up. In the 17th minute, Hector Miguel Herrera took a shot just wide of the goal. The first dangerous opportunity for the Dutch came in the 27th minute when Robin van Persie received a high pass from a teammate and took a shot, but it missed the target. At the end of the first half, Giovani dos Santos broke through the defense and took a shot straight into the corner of the goal, but Jasper Cillessen defended the goal reliably. In added time, near the Mexican goal, Arjen Robben fell, but the referee did not award a penalty, although the incident was controversial. The second half started particularly well for the Mexicans, who took the lead in the 48th minute. Giovani dos Santos scored an excellent goal from about 23 meters, nearly becoming a hero for his country. After quickly conceding a goal, the Dutch players had to push forward relentlessly. In the 55th minute, the Mexicans almost doubled the score, but two minutes later, the Dutch had a chance to equalize when a player's header hit the crossbar. The pressure from the Dutch players continued, but they were only able to score the winning goal in the 88th minute. Wesley Sneijder revived their hopes of remaining in the World Cup with a powerful shot that left the opponent's goalkeeper with no chance. After the equalizing goal, it seemed that the Dutch were not going to wait for extra time, as they continued to press the Mexicans aggressively. In added time, an unexpected penalty was awarded - earned by A.Robben. He did not take the penalty, leaving it to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who extended the Dutch victory and secured a spot in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, the Dutch national team will face the winner of the Greece and Costa Rica match. Result: Netherlands 2 - 1 Mexico 48' [0 - 1] G.dos Santos 88' [1 - 1] W.Sneijder 90' [2 - 1] K-J.Huntelaar (penalty) Starting Lineups: Netherlands: Cillessen, Vlaar, De Vrij, Blind, De Jong, Van Persie (c), Sneijder, Robben, Verhaegh, Kuyt, Wijnaldum. Mexico: Ochoa, Rodriguez, Salcido, Marquez (c), Herrera, Layun, Dos Santos, Moreno, Guardado, Peralta, Aguilar.
