Portugal survive battle with Dutch

Portugal 1
Netherlands 0

Portugal booked their place in the quarter-finals with a bruising and bad-tempered 1-0 win over Netherlands last night.

In an explosive game marked by a flurry of yellow cards and four reds, a record for a match at any World Cup finals, Portugal clung on to the advantage they earned when Maniche fired them ahead after only 23 minutes.

Despite the dismissals of Portuguese midfielders Costinha and Deco plus Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz and midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst by Russian referee Valentin Ivanov, it was a contest of high-quality and attacking play.

Portugal will meet England in the last eight on Saturday.

Netherlands, who replaced striker Ruud van Nistelrooy with Dirk Kuyt, enjoyed most of the early possession but in a tight contest they also picked up two quick cautions.

The first went to Mark van Bommel for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo after only two minutes and the second, after seven, to Boulahrouz for a vicious high challenge that left a cut high up across Ronaldo's right thigh.

The Dutch right-back was lucky not to be sent off but the damage he did resulted in Ronaldo, after being treated twice, limping out of the game after 34 minutes.

By then, Maniche had been cautioned for a challenge on Van Bommel and struck the opening goal, a sweetly-taken right-foot finish from 12 metres.

The goal was made by Pauleta. Receiving a low cross from Deco, on the right, the striker delicately held up the ball before laying it off to Maniche who side-stepped a challenge from Andre Ooijer and then planted a right-foot shot inside Edwin van der Saar's left post.

Within nine minutes Costinha picked up his first yellow card for a foul on Phillip Cocu. He was lucky to escape another, for a foul on Ooijer as the game reached boiling point, before he was sent off in added time at the end of the first half when he handled stupidly in midfield.

A minute earlier, Portugal had almost taken a two-goal lead when Pauleta's shot was saved by Van der Sar, making a record 113th appearance for the Netherlands.

The Dutch raised the tempo after the interval when Cocu thumped a shot against the bar and twice Van Bommel hit thunderous drives that missed the target.

Boulahrouz was then dismissed after 63 minutes for raising his elbow on Figo, minutes after the Portugal captain was booked for butting Van Bommel as all hell threatened to break loose.

It almost did in a welter of scraps and more wild tackling. Deco was sent off for his second yellow after holding on to the ball as the Dutch tried to take a free-kick.

The game was almost over when Netherlands midfielder Van Bronckhorst was shown a second yellow card and also sent off.

Aftermatch comments

Portugal match-winner Maniche said his team's superior spirit had finally proved the difference in their second-round win over Holland.

"I think we won because we are a great group, a group of talented players, a group of friends too," Maniche told German television.

"Overall we deserved to win. This is a tasty win for Portugal."

He continued: "The referee did not contribute to a good show of football. I don't think this match was so violent to have so many sendings-off."

Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar said: "Falling a goal behind was no problem but then you have to score the first chance you get and that one we missed. At the end when we played 10 against nine we didn't get the ball where it should be."

Portugal: 1-Ricardo; 13-Miguel, 16-Carvalho, 5-Meira, 14-Valente; 6-Costinha, 18-Maniche 7-Figo (19-Tiago 84), 20-Deco, 17-Ronaldo (11-Sabrosa 34); 9-Pauleta (8-Petit 46).

Netherlands: 1-Van der Sar; 3-Boulahrouz, 13-Ooijer, 4-Mathijsen (10-Van der Vaart 56), 5-Van Bronckhorst; 18-Van Bommel (14-Heitinga 67), 20-Sneijder, 8-Cocu (19-Vennegoor of Hesselink 85); 17-Van Persie, 7-Kuyt, 11-Robben

Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia).

Scorer: Maniche 23.

Red cards: Costinha 45; Boulahrouz 63; Deco 78; Van Bronckhorst 90.

Half-time: 1-0. Attendance: 41,000.

FIFA man of the match: Maniche.