FACING ONE OF THE MOST dangerous teams in the tournament in the round of 16 is scant reward for three wins out of three in group D, but Luis Felipe Scolari could find consolation in the personal triumph that this victory represents. It was the Portugal coach’s tenth successive win in the World Cup, which he won with Brazil in 2002 — a tournament record. “It’s something that would mark anybody’s life,” Scolari said.

If there is consistency in Portugal’s results, it could not be located in their performance in Gelsenkirchen yesterday. The match was an engaging blend of sweet attacking moves and scabrous acts of simulation. There was more writhing than a snake-pit, more tumbling than a gymnastics class and Luis Pérez, of Mexico, was sent off for two yellow cards, the second for diving, but they qualified as runners-up all the same.

Mexico are familiar with brinkmanship — this is the fourth successive time that they have not secured their progress before their last group game. Not that they have ever made it beyond the quarter-finals, which they have reached twice, both times as hosts. And not that they look likely to better those performances this time, despite the prettiness of much of their play.

With Portugal already through, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pauleta, Costina, Nuno Valente and Deco were not considered because Scolari wanted to ensure that they would not pick up a second yellow card that would render them ineligible for the next fixture. It was surprising, then, that they were so cohesive and dangerous up front. Scolari may have infamously declared that “the beautiful game is dead” with Brazil, but he has obviously purchased a defibrillator because the flair in this side certainly has not flatlined, even if their veteran conductor, Luis Figo, is on the same languid slide into irrelevance as his former Real Madrid colleague, Zinédine Zidane.

Maniche did not find the net in 11 mostly insipid appearances on loan to Chelsea from Dynamo Moscow last season, yet he opened the scoring in the sixth minute, bursting from midfield to crash home Simão Sabrosa’s left-wing cross. Simão added a penalty midway through the first half when Rafael Márquez bizarrely handled a corner, raising an arm as he jumped to clear.

Portugal’s back line — ominously for their prospects, missing only one regular, Nuno Valente — grew more ragged and Mexico pulled a goal back through José Fonseca’s header from a corner shortly before the half-hour.

With his black manicured beard and eyebrows so arched you could erect a lattice and grow roses through them, Ricardo La Volpe, the Mexico coach, wears the countenance of a man in a state of constant ironic irritation, a doppelgänger for Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Still, he was relatively content afterwards, suggesting that his side will be relaxed and more likely to improve up front in the next round.

Scolari was unsatisfied, though he praised Mexico, admitting that his men robbed them of a draw. “What worried me was when we had the extra man, we just needed to pass the ball around but didn’t,” he said. “We made some little mistakes, typical of Portugal. At 2-1 with an extra man, why are we throwing six men forward? Let’s not run risks. We have to learn how to play 11 v ten, apparently.”

Mexico won a penalty in the 58th minute after a highly impressive team move, when Miguel, the Portugal right back, handled as Pérez controlled a cross in the area. Up stepped Omar Bravo, a sadly inappropriate name in this instance as he sent Ricardo the wrong way but put the ball over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, after another neat move, Miguel and Pérez again challenged in the box and Pérez fell. Lubos Michel, the referee, gave the midfield player a yellow card, his second of the match, for diving. Replays suggested it was the right decision — the Mexican gave in to gravity before Miguel had tackled him.

The dismissal made little difference. After 63 minutes, Bravo was clean through and again shot over the bar, then Paulo Ferreira, the Chelsea defender and a substitute, was lucky not to concede a penalty for hacking down the cursed Bravo by the goalline.

Still, as Angola drew, none of it really mattered, though Scolari’s passion told otherwise. At the end he directed Luis Boa Morte to take the ball to the corner flag as the substitute dribbled towards goal. Enough entertainment for one day.