FIFA World Cup 2014: Netherlands vs Mexico 51th Match in Pictures

Mexico, on the brink of its greatest achievement at a World Cup outside its own country, broke down in the final three minutes of regulation, and again in stoppage time, falling to a crushing 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

The Mexicans dominated the match for much of the first half and the beginning of the second, taking the lead in the 48th minute on Giovani dos Santos’s blistering left-footed strike.

The Netherlands pushed forward in the second half, looking for an equalizer, but Guillermo Ochoa displayed some more outstanding goalkeeping, especially when he deflected a point-blank volley off the goal line to preserve the lead.

But with the quarterfinals tantalizingly close, it was all ripped away from Mexico, starting with Wesley Sneijder’s tying goal in the 88th minute. Sneijder stepped up to hammer home a shot from the top of the penalty area after a Dutch corner kick was knocked back to him.

Then, in the 94th minute of a grueling game in scorching conditions, Arjen Robben dribbled artfully near the Mexico goal and was tripped in the penalty area by Rafael Márquez. Klaas jan Huntelaar buried the penalty kick to give the Netherlands the lead and, a minute later, hand Mexico its sixth straight elimination in the Round of 16.

The Netherlands advances to face Greece or Costa Rica in the quarterfinals on Saturday. (New York Times)