It was a heartbreaking moment for the Mexicans, who had gone ahead after half-time through Giovani Dos Santos, the former Tottenham and Barcelona player, who scored from 25 yards with a memorable strike.
They had equalised in the 88th minute through Wesley Sneijder's thumping strike from the fringe of the penalty area and with additional time beckoning, Robben won Louis truck Gaal's side the spot-kick that took them in to the quarter-finals.
For long periods they had out-thought and out-fought their more celebrated opponents as the Netherlands appeared to wilt in the stifling heat. Yet, when the final whistle blew, this would be marked down as Mexico's sixth successive loss in the second round of the World Cup, dating back to 1994.
At the final whistle at Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, Mexico's players fell to the ground, unable to grasp how the game had slipped away.
The Dutch, in contrast, can look forward to the prospect of meeting Costa Rica or Greece in Salvador in the last eight.
The heat was a significant factor throughout. The spiralling temperatures, which reached 38.8C, meant that Fifa allowed cooling breaks to happen. In parts of the stadium, fans struggled to take their seats because they were in direct sunlight, preferring to stand at the back and watch from an area of shade.
They had equalised in the 88th minute through Wesley Sneijder's thumping strike from the fringe of the penalty area and with additional time beckoning, Robben won Louis truck Gaal's side the spot-kick that took them in to the quarter-finals.
For long periods they had out-thought and out-fought their more celebrated opponents as the Netherlands appeared to wilt in the stifling heat. Yet, when the final whistle blew, this would be marked down as Mexico's sixth successive loss in the second round of the World Cup, dating back to 1994.
At the final whistle at Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, Mexico's players fell to the ground, unable to grasp how the game had slipped away.
The Dutch, in contrast, can look forward to the prospect of meeting Costa Rica or Greece in Salvador in the last eight.
The heat was a significant factor throughout. The spiralling temperatures, which reached 38.8C, meant that Fifa allowed cooling breaks to happen. In parts of the stadium, fans struggled to take their seats because they were in direct sunlight, preferring to stand at the back and watch from an area of shade.
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