(Gazzetta dello Sport, 26.06.2006)
The
match between Portugal and Holland will be remembered for the number of
yellow cards given to the players of both teams; twenty, a record in the world cup.
It will be remembered also for the longest winning stripes by a trainer in the main world football event: a little masterpiece of Scolari with eleven consecutive victories including that won with the Brazilian team four years ago.
Back to the game, the referee Ivanov has lost soon the control of the match that in the second half has been more a rodeo then a football game.
At the end we will count 4 players out (two each side) and other sixteen with a yellow card.
Holland’s trainer
van Basten leaves on the bench Van Nistelrooy, the most representative Dutch striker.
The match is at the beginning slow, with too much tactic involved; on the 23rd
minutes Cristiano Ronaldo gets the ball, gives it to Deco on the right that launch it to the Pauleta that stops it passing to Maniche that shoot it to
score the decisive goal.
Holland will try to score first with Van Persie at the 38th and Cocu at the beginning of the second half that is unlucky and hits the bar.
With the help of over 30.000 supporters, the orange try to assault the Portuguese
Goal especially with Van Bommel that is near to score in a couple of times.
The delirium will
start when the Dutch don’t return a ball to the Portuguese team; hard tackles, pushes and fights will follow, with the referee that will start assign yellow cards (9 in 15 minutes).
Soon will be raining red cards on the heads of Boulahrouz, Deco and Van Bronckhorst.
The new situation open large spaces on the pitch and goals occasions start to flow.
But the score won’t change, and Portugal reaches the quarter of finals against England, where will probably miss the help of Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Costinha.
Holland will now ask Van Basten why he didn’t throw on the pitch the talented and best goal scorer Van Nistelrooy.
More reviews about the Portugal-Holland a match to remember