In these Round of 16 matches held on Sunday, Netherlands produced a stunning comeback as they vanquished Mexico 2-1 to qualify for the quarter-finals.
In these Round of 16 matches held on Sunday, Netherlands produced a stunning comeback as they vanquished Mexico 2-1 to qualify for the quarter-finals. Two late goals from the Dutch was enough to break Mexican hearts as Robben and co. provided an end-to-end stuff. Meanwhile, Costa Rica continued their superb run in the tournament as they advanced to the quarters by pulling off a miracle win over Greece even with 10-men. Here’s the review of both the games:
Netherlands vs. Mexico
Winner – The Dutch
Striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar struck a stoppage-time penalty as the Netherlands staged an incredible late fight back to beat Mexico 2-1 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Huntelaar kept his cool in furnace-like conditions to fire Holland into the last eight after Wesley Sneijder had scored an 88th-minute equaliser to cancel out Giovani Dos Santos’s opener for Mexico. Mexico have now lost in the second round in six consecutive World Cup appearances, and had been just minutes away from a first quarter-final since 1986. The match saw three-minute cooling breaks used for the first time in World Cup history as pitch-side temperatures hit 39 degrees. The spectacular Dutch fight back left Mexico’s players in tears after the game.
Costa Rica vs. Greece
Winner – Costa Rica
Ten-man Costa Rica beat Greece in a penalty shootout on Sunday to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their World Cup history. Michael Umana scored the decisive penalty as Costa Rica won the shootout 5-3 after the game ended 1-1 following extra time. Costa Rica took the lead in the second half through captain Bryan Ruiz but then had defender Oscar Duarte sent off. Greece equalized deep into injury time through Sokratis Papastathopoulos and broke Costa Rican hearts. But Costa Rica didn’t lose hope as all five of Costa Rica’s shooters confidently drilled their attempts.
Costa Rica will play the Netherlands in the quarterfinals as FIFA World Cup 2014 continues to enthral its viewers.
