Mexico will meet the Netherlands in the last 16 of the World Cup after veteran captain Rafael Marquez helped steer them to Monday's 3-1 win and eliminate ten-man Croatia. Mexico needed just to avoid defeat in Recife to take their place in the knockout phase, but three goals in ten second-half minutes killed off Croatia's hopes.
The Mexicans needed more than an hour to break the deadlock at the Arena Pernambuco before the floodgates finally burst. The 35-year-old Marquez, captaining his country at a record fourth finals, scored with a header on 72 minutes before Andres Guardado grabbed Mexico's second.
Substitute Javier Hernandez then netted their third in quick succession to book their Dutch showdown at 1300 local time (1600GMT) on Sunday in Fortaleza. "That is one of the happiest days of my life," beamed Mexico coach Miguel Herrera. "It was a hard fight, but my team pulled through." Ivan Perisic grabbed a late consolation for the Croats before replacement forward Ante Rebic was sent off just before the final whistle. Croatia bow out by finishing third in the group after their opening 3-1 defeat to Brazil and 4-0 trouncing of Cameroon, while Mexico finish second in the table to Brazil on goal difference. "We kept the game open for a long time, but two corners decided the game," said Croatia coach Niko Kovac.
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