A stunning goal from Giovani Dos Santos and a string of magical saves from Guillermo Ochoa got Mexico to within two minutes of a spot in the last eight.
But Louis van Gaal's decision to replace Robin van Persie with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar paid off, as the sub was at the heart of the astonishing late comeback as the Netherlands pulled off an unforgettable victory.
Huntelaar nodded down from a corner for Wesley Sneijder with just two minutes left, and the Galatasaray playmaker drilled a stunning low shot into the corner.
Extra
time seemed the Oranje's reward, but the game took another twist as
Arjen Robben won a penalty almost three minutes into the six minutes of
added time.
Robben was adjudged to have been felled in the area by Rafael Marquez;
replays suggested it was a highly theatrical dive from the Dutchman,
but he had been wrongly denied a clear penalty earlier so justice was
probably done in the end.
And it was Huntelaar who stepped up and sent the ever-impressive Ochoa the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Mexico
had controlled most of the match and should probably have pressed their
superiority further, but it was a bitter blow for Miguel Herrera's spirited side.
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