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The match between the national teams of Portugal and the Netherlands in the round of 16 has ended. After a very tense and aggressive battle, Portugal emerged victorious with a minimal score and advanced to the quarterfinals. In this match, four players were sent off the field.
Portugal 1 - 0 Netherlands 23' [1 - 0] Maniche 45' Costinha (Portugal), 63' Khalid Boulahrouz (Netherlands), 78' Deco (Portugal), 94' Gio (Netherlands) were sent off the field. Portugal: Ricardo, Nuno Valente, Ricardo Carvalho, Meira, Miguel, Maniche, Deco, Costinha, Figo (84' Tiago), Pauleta (46' Petit), Ronaldo (34' Simao). Netherlands: Van der Sar, Van Bronckhorst, Mathijsen (56' Rafael van der Vaart), Ooijer, Boulahrouz, Cocu (85' Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink), Sneijder, Van Bommel (57' Johnny Heitinga), Robben, Kuyt, Van Persie. The Netherlands started the match more actively, with Mark van Bommel taking a dangerous shot from outside the penalty area just a couple of minutes into the game – the ball grazed past the post. Shortly after, M. van Bommel received a yellow card for a foul on Cristiano Ronaldo. After about five minutes, Arjen Robben attempted a long-range shot, but it was unsuccessful. Moments later, Gio also took a shot from distance, but the Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo easily caught the low shot. Portugal tried to play fast, and after a counterattack, Pedro Pauleta jumped in front of the goal, but the referee called offside. A few minutes later, A. Robben broke into the penalty area, but the Portuguese defenders managed to clear the danger. Midway through the first half, the first and only goal of the match was scored – receiving the ball in the penalty area, P. Pauleta laid it off to Maniche, who deceived the defender and sent the ball into the net with a strong shot. In the 31st minute, the Dutch intercepted the ball from Deco near their penalty area and started a quick counterattack, which was interrupted by Costinha, who illegally stopped Philipp Cocu. Portugal was shown a yellow card. A couple of minutes later, Portugal made a substitution – C. Ronaldo, who was injured at the beginning of the match, couldn't continue the game and tearfully left the field, making way for Simao. The Netherlands continued to attack and tried to equalize – inside the penalty area, Robin van Persie made a deceptive move and shot freely from the edge of the penalty area, but his shot from a sharp angle missed the goal. The events unfolded interestingly – with about five minutes left to play in the first half, Costinha, who had recently received a yellow card, committed another foul by stopping Andre Ooijer, but referee Valentin Ivanov did not show a second yellow card. A few minutes later, the Dutch players were unhappy with the referee's decision again, when Nuno Valente kicked A. Robben's chest in the penalty area, but the referee did not award a penalty. In the final minute of the first half, Portugal could have doubled their lead, but the excellent Dutch goalkeeper made a save – Simao passed the ball to Pauleta in the penalty area, he stopped the ball and shot while turning around, but Edwin Van der Sar displayed a great reaction and deflected the shot. During stoppage time, Portugal had to play with ten men, as Costinha was sent off the field for a deliberate handball. At the beginning of the second half, the Dutch missed a great opportunity to equalize – during a Dutch attack, the ball bounced right next to P. Cocu, who attempted a shot without stopping, but his shot missed the target and shook the goalpost. Soon, the Dutch goal faced danger when Miguel shot from the edge of the penalty area. The Dutch goalkeeper managed to parry the ball, and the defenders cleared it away. A minute later, M. van Bommel took a threatening shot from a distance, but the Portuguese goalkeeper, Ricardo, managed to redirect it to a corner. In the 58th minute, Maniche almost scored his second goal – Luis Figo delivered the ball to Maniche, who shot from the edge of the penalty area, but the Dutch goalkeeper prevented the ball from entering the net. After about an hour of play, Portugal's attack was illegally stopped by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was punished with a yellow card. Before taking the penalty kick, there was a minor scuffle between players of both teams, after which L. Figo received a yellow card for aggressive behavior. Meanwhile, after Simao's penalty kick, the ball went wide of the post. In the 63rd minute, the teams were reduced to equal numbers as K. Boulahrouz was sent off the field. While contesting for the ball, the defender elbowed L. Figo, who fell to the ground holding his face. Referee Valentin Ivanov showed K. Boulahrouz a second yellow card, and the Netherlands had to play with ten men. The intensity rose even more in the 73rd minute when Deco forcefully stopped Johnny Heitinga. The referee showed Deco a yellow card, sparking another scuffle, after which Dutch players Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart were also shown yellow cards. The battle on the field continued, and after five minutes, Deco was forced to leave the field after receiving a second yellow card for obstructing the opponents from starting an attack. With a numerical advantage again, the Netherlands continued to try to equalize – with about ten minutes left in regular time, Dirk Kuyt made a nice turn and shot, but the Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo made a great save. During stoppage time, another player was sent off – Gio, who illegally stopped an opponent in possession of the ball, received a second yellow card and joined his teammate Deco in the stands. The Dutch failed to equalize, and the match ended 1-0, sending Portugal to the quarterfinals.
