FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°42

Holland’s status as one of the World Cup favourites took a battering here on Thursday as slack defending late in the match allowed Mexico to come back from the dead again. Ricardo Pelaez’s 75th-minute header and Luis Hernandez’s injury-time equaliser earned Mexico a point from a match that the Dutch could and should have killed off by half-time.

Belgium’s failure to beat South Korea meant both sides would have progressed regardless of the result, but the squandering of a two-goal lead left Dutch coach Guus Hiddink fuming. ” We cannot be satisfied with this performance, “ he said. ” We scored one beautiful goal in the first half and we had a good period for ten to 15 minutes at the start of the second.  But then we settled too much and we did not defend like we should do.”

The draw left Holland and Mexico level on five points at the top of group E but the Dutch claimed the top spot thanks to their superior goal difference. Mexican coach Manuel Lapuente, who watched his side battle back from two goals down to tie with Belgium on Saturday, said: “We got off to a bad start but slowly but surely we came into the game and I think we deserved to get the draw.”

Despite his anger with his own team, Hiddink paid generous tribute to the way the Mexicans battled back in to the match. “They have been behind in all three of their matches and come back to get a result. Any team that does that deserves respect.”

First half goals from Philip Cocu and Ronald de Boer had put Holland in control and by the time Ricardo Palaez pulled one back for the Mexicans 15 minutes from time, they could and should have been four goals ahead. But their failure to take their chances ensured a tense climax in which the Mexicans were denied a good penalty claim, had a Cuauhtemoc Blanco goal ruled out for offside and Ramon Ramirez sent off before Hernandez popped up to score in the fourth minute of injury time.

Holland’s Manchester United-bound defender Jaap Stam failed to clear after Palaez flicked a long-ball on into the Dutch box and Hernandez, playing with an ankle injury that had seemed bound to rule him out of the match, was able to squeeze the ball past Edwin van der Sar.

After their 5-0 drubbing of South Korea in Marseille on Saturday, the Dutch had picked up exactly where they had left off.  Wim Jonk had already tested Mexican keeper Jorge Campos with a fierce volley from 25 yards when Cocu put them ahead afer only five minutes. Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp sprung the Mexican offside trap with a delightfully clipped pass from just inside the Mexican half and the PSV Eindhoven striker raced away to slot the ball past Campos with a low left-foot shot from just inside the box.

The shock sparked the Mexicans into life and Edwin van der Sar produced two good saves in the space of a minute to deny first Ramon Ramirez then Cuauhtemoc Blanco. But the Orange mass of Dutch supporters did not have long to wait before De Boer stretched the lead to two with his second goal of the tournament after 20 minutes.

The Ajax midfielder chested the ball down in the Mexican box and wriggled away from three defenders before turning and beating Campos with a low shot from 12 yards that went in off the past. Bergkamp very nearly snatched a third on the half-hour mark when he intercepted Mexican stooper Duilio Davino’s casual chip across the 18-yard-line with a header that very nearly beat Campos.

Marc Overmars should have made made it three after a neat pass from Cocu put him free inside the box in the 40th minute. As Campos sprawled at his feet, the Arsenal winger lifted the ball over him only to see it go inches wide. Bergkamp turned provider again in the 51st minute, shielding the ball just inside the penalty area then laying it off for Cocu to fire in a shot that came off the top of the Mexican bar.

Mexican coach Manuel Lapuente replaced defender Joel Sanchez with 34-year-old Pelaez in the 55th minute in a desperate bid to turn things around. The gamble paid off in the 75th minute when Pelaez rose above the Dutch defence to claim his second goal of France 98 and become the first player to beat the highly-rated van der Sar.