World Cup|Netherlands Scores 2 Goals in Final Minutes, Eliminates Mexico

That surely felt like a sucker punch, too, if only because Mexico had held off the Dutch for so long. Louis van Gaal, the Dutch coach, had already pulled his top scorer, Robin van Persie, and it felt as if Ochoa was impenetrable. He stopped a close-range shot from Stefan de Vrij off a corner kick. He stymied Robben, the wily attacker, when he slipped in along the side and tried to sneak a shot through Ochoa's legs.

For 88 minutes, and three full games prior, Ochoa had, remarkably, conceded just one goal.

But then came two in seven minutes, Sneijder's rocket followed by Robben's tumble and the subsequent penalty kick. Herrera had been ecstatic when Giovani dos Santos ripped a stunning shot into the net to give Mexico the lead just after halftime. Now, suddenly, he was sullen.

The Dutch, of course, were elated, and they deserve full credit for their comeback, especially considering the conditions. The game was played in stifling heat, and the midday sun made it seem as if Estádio Castelão was not full; in reality, many of the fans in sections where the sun was beating down had retreated to the backs of the concourses for a bit of shade.

On the field, the pace was slow and ragged. The Dutch ran rampant in their 5-1 demolition of Spain during the group stage, but there was little of that in their play early on. Mexico had the better chances in the first half as Miguel Layún made several runs down the flank before sending in tantalizing crosses. Oribe Peralta and dos Santos were also active in the middle of the field, and they combined for a decent opportunity, but dos Santos's hard shot was batted away by Jasper Cillessen.

A few minutes later, the referee, Pedro Proença, blew his whistle and motioned the players over to their bench areas for an official water break. For about three minutes, the players and the officials draped cold towels on their necks, sucked down fluids and rested; while purists might have balked, it seemed a sensible intervention, given the conditions.

That said, the break seemed to give the Dutch a slight boost. They played with more purpose after the stoppage and, in first-half stoppage time, had their best chance to that point when Robben took the ball in the Mexican penalty area and was poised to shoot from close range. Márquez and Héctor Moreno, though, converged on him.

Robben crumpled under the challenge, but Proença, perhaps aware of Robben's reputation for embellishment, waved away the Dutch protests. On closer examination, Robben appeared to have an excellent case for a penalty - if not two - as both defenders took him out with little regard for the ball.

It seemed a fortunate escape for the Mexicans. Forty-five minutes later, however, Robben went down again. This time, El Tri was not so lucky.