By TIM FONTENAULT
It did not seem like there was much doubt about Mexico going through to the Round of 16. Croatia held El Tri off the score sheet for a long time, but they never looked likely to get the breakthrough goal that would turn the game.
That honor was left for Rafa Márquez.
At times, he looked his usual, angry self — going in hard to challenges and pressing too high up the pitch, giving Ivan Perišić the space to get in on the counter attack if Croatia could get him the ball. However, Márquez settled down enough to put in the go-ahead goal for Mexico, earning him the SBI Man of the Match award as Mexico cruised into the knockout stage with a 3-1 win.
The Mexico captain fired in an extraordinary header on a corner kick in the 72nd minute to give Mexico a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, he got his head to another corner kick, flicking it on to Javier Hernandez, who headed in the third goal for Mexico.
Márquez claims the SBI Man of the Match award over Andrés Guardado and Héctor Herrera.
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What did you think of Márquez’s performance? Did he deserve the Man of the Match award, or should it have gone to someone else?
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