Flop or Foul? The Hearbreaking Play That Ended Mexico's World Cup

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Mexico's Rafael Marquez, left, fouls Netherlands' Arjen Robben inside the penalty box during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between the Netherlands and Mexico at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Sunday, June 29, 2014.

Image: Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

By Sam Laird2014-06-29 18:40:24 UTC

Arjen Robben won't want to make Mexico a vacation destination any time ~~soon~~ ever, following a controversial end to Sunday's World Cup elimination match between El Tri and his Netherlands side.

Robben has for years been one of global soccer's most exciting talents, thanks to his hyper-kinetic pace, powerful strikes and pinpoint passing. But, as one Twitter follower perfectly put it on Sunday, he "represents the best and the worst of the game," thanks to his dedicated flopping (even by soccer's standards) to sell — or even invent — foul calls from referees.

Tied 1-1 in the 92nd minute, Robben theatrically embellished a foul in the box from Mexico's Rafa Marquez. Klaas Jan Huntelaar converted the penalty to send Mexico home with a 2-1 final score, but it was the preceding foul call that had the Internet abuzz. Here's a look.

Now here's a slow-motion replay of Robben going down, via Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

Was it technically a foul? Yes, perhaps a little bit — Marquez did knick Robben's foot, so it's not like the play totally lacked contact. Was it a flop? Dear God, yes, and one for the ages. It also likely would not have elicited such a strong reaction had it not — in addition to deciding the game — come from a player with Robben's reputation.

So, in the final analysis: Flop or foul? We could debate which outweighs which here for days, but the bottom line is this was an utterly heartbreaking way for Mexico to go out in the World Cup's round of 16 for the sixth consecutive time — a feat of disappointment never achieved by any other national team.