As Portugal and the Netherlands took to the field for the second round of the 2006 World Cup, there was little sign of the drama that was to come. Both sides had progressed serenely through their groups and hadn’t troubled the officials unduly along the way. That was all about to change as one of the most bruising and tempestuous encounters in the tournament’s history was played out.
The Frankenstadion, as it was then known, hosted an incident-packed match where the referee’s hand was never too far from his breast pocket. The infamous Battle of Nuremberg saw 20 cards shown – 16 yellow and four red. Two players were sent off from each side as the contest descended into a series of rash challenges and recriminatory fights.
Unsurprisingly, midfield enforcer Mark van Bommel was first in the book for cynically scything down Cristiano Ronaldo as he sprinted away with the ball. The match was just two minutes old and a discordant tone had been set. Van Bommel somehow saw fit to appeal the decision, but to no avail. He was soon joined by teammate Khalid Boulahrouz, whose studs caught Ronaldo’s thigh. Ultraviolence was clearly the order of the day.
Maniche picked up a yellow card for a fairly innocuous foul while Costinha was sent off for a deliberate handball having already been booked for a late challenge. Portugal were a man down but already a goal ahead after a well-worked passing move had set up Maniche on the edge of the opposition box. He went past one defender, feigned to shoot in order to commit another and then fired past Edwin van der Sar’s despairing reach.
It was a moment of rare quality and fluid football in the midst of an increasingly testy and combative match. Play was regularly broken up by the referee’s whistle and several off-the-ball incidents. Portugal could have been reduced to nine men before they eventually were, as Luis Figo headbutted van Bommel unnoticed by the officials and was merely booked for his part in a mass argument between the two sides.
When play resumed, Boulahrouz cut across Figo to intercept the ball, catching his face with a flailing arm. A second yellow card ended his participation with just under half an hour left and the game somehow became even more farcical than seemed possible. Members of the Portuguese bench clashed with Andre Ooijer, one of those who managed to avoid sanction all night, and Deco’s professional foul on Johnny Heitinga brought matters to a head.
The playmaker was booked for a wild tackle that prompted skirmishes between the two teams and two more yellow cards following a heated aftermath in which Wesley Sneijder pushed substitute Petit to the floor. Deco’s refusal to surrender the ball to Phillip Cocu as the Netherlands pushed for an equaliser earned him a second booking, and the third red card of the game, in the 78th minute.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst completed the shower of cards in injury time after a tangle with Tiago. All four players had been sent off for two bookings, adding to the total. The Dutch left-back walked off forlornly, shaking his head as he went, and was captured by the cameras discussing the bizarre nature of the match with his Barcelona teammate Deco. The sides were temporarily united in their disbelief at what had happened.
The match itself had been forgotten amidst the drama but Portugal progressed to the quarter-finals. Many bemoaned the scenes that had unfolded and how various incidents had been handled. It might not have looked much like football but it was strangely captivating in its own way. Entertainment comes in all sorts of different forms, and this collective loss of control certainly provided that.
