Live Ticker: Portugal 1 : 0 The Netherlands

Welcome to live ticker coverage of the 2006 World Cup at dw-world.de. The next match is Portugal versus Netherlands. Kick-off time: 21.00CEST

It's a hot summer night, and 41,000 fans in Nuremberg are gearing up for a real cracker: Portugal against Netherlands.

The Dutch are seeking revenge. Portugal knocked them out of the 2004 European Championships.

Portugal cruised through their group stage and hope their stars continue to perform up to that level.

The starting eleven for the Portugese:
Ricardo, Miguel, Meira, Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Costinha, Maniche, Deco, Figo, Pauleta, Cristiano Ronaldo

Netherlands begin with:
van der Sar, Boulahrouz, Ooijer, Mathijsen, van Bronckhorst, van Bommel, Sneijder, Cocu, van Persie, Kuyt, Robben

Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Netherlands' top goal scorer, starts on the bench after a falling-out with coach Marco van Basten.

The winner meets England in the quarterfinals.

The referee is Russia's Valentin Ivanov.

1. min.
The ball is rolling!
Portugal have first possession.

2. min.
Van Bommel pulls the ball wide left of the net, then picks up a yellow card.

4. min.
The Oranjes look a bit sharper in the first few minutes. Van Bronckhorst with a free-kick into the arms of Ricardo.

6. min.
Portugal are losing a lot of balls in midfield.

7. min.
Boulahrouz booked for a hard foul on C. Ronaldo


9. min.
Portugal with more of the ball now, but still no shots on goal.

12. min.
Lots of hard individual battles in midfield, with neither team gaining a clear advantage.

14. min.
Van Persie blasts the ball wide left from 22 meters.

15. min.
Kuyt goes down in the box, but Ivanov rightly says play on.

17. min.
Holland trying to press on the left-hand side with Robben, but the Portugese defense looks solid.

18. min.
First corner for Portugal, but Netherlands clear.

20. min.
Maniche sees yellow for a hard foul on van Bommel.


22. min.
GOOOOAAAALLLL! for Portugal.
Pauleta finds Maniche, who fires into the upper right hand corner from 14 meters.

23. min.
Netherlands counter via van Persie, but Mathijsen misfires on the resulting corner kick.

25. min.
Van Persie cross is well ahead of Kuyt.

26. min.
Maniche lofts one just over the Dutch crossbar.

28. min.
Lightning-quick counter-attack by Portugal, but Deco's lob is much too ambitious.

30. min.
Costinha warned for a very reckless challenge on Cocu.


33. min.
Simao for C. Ronaldo
Portugal striker can't continue after thigh injury following a hard, early foul.

35. min.
Netherlands remain the more aggressive side, but Portugal lead thanks to their greater precision.

36. min.
van Persie dupes a pair of defenders but misses wide.

38. min.
Costinha playing with fire, committing hard foul on Ooijer.

42. min.
Robben goes down in the box, but Ivanov overlooks a Portugal foul. That should probably have been a penalty.

43. min.
Netherlands free-kick just outside the box, but Schneijder well high and wide.

44. min.
Pauleta draws a great save from van der Sar after a shot from close range.

45. min.
Costinha can hit the showers after picking a second yellow for purposely handling the ball.
+1

45. min.
+3 Portugal lead 1-nil at the break, but they'll be a man down starting the second half. This should be a tooth-and-nails fight the rest of the way.

Petit for Pauleta
Portugal without a true striker for second half.

46. min.
Holland on the ball - with a lot of work to do to turn this game around.

47. min.
Portugal withdraw into their own half and begin defending their slim lead.

48. min.
Cocu rams the ball against the crossbar! Bad luck for the Oranjes.

49. min.
Petit sees yellow after a hard foul.


50. min.
van Bommel blast slips through Ricardo's hands and left of goal. Second good Dutch chance of the half.

52. min.
Van Persie corner sails out of bounds.

53. min.
Figo with a shot on goal, but too weak to trouble van der Sar.

55. min.
van der Vaart for Mathijsen
More firepower for the Netherlands.

57. min.
Maniche tests a diving van der Sar, after Netherlands carelessly give the ball away.

58. min.
van Bronckhorst cautioned for a foul on Deco


59. min.
Figo for a mild head-butt while play was stopped.


60. min.
Simao curls the free-kick just over the bar.

61. min.
Boulahrouz's day is over after another hard foul.
We're down to 10 against 10.

62. min.
Portugal's defensive tactics are frustrating the Oranjes, who've now lost their man advantage.

65. min.
Imprecise passing dooms another Netherlands attack.

67. min.
Heitinga for van Bommel
Netherlands need stability at the back.

68. min.
van Persie crosses across the mouth of the goal, but no one is there to receive.

70. min.
Dangerous cross by Robben but Kuyt can't rise high enough.

72. min.
Deco picks up yellow.


73. min.
Schneijder follows suit with a foul on Petit.


73. min.
Van der Vaart also booked.


74. min.
Heitinga heads a van Persie free-kick wide.

75. min.
Ricardo joins the yellow club.


76. min.
Nuno Valente also cautioned after bringing down van Persie.
This has become a real grudge match.

77. min.
Deco sent off after seeing his second yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Portugal down to 9 men!

78. min.
Netherlands with a second chance to exploit a man advantage.

80. min.
After a flurry of bookings the Dutch have just over ten minutes to crack Portugal's defense and get an equaliser.

80. min.
Ricardo bests Kuyt on a Dutch break-away.

83. min.
Tiago for Figo


84. min.
With the wrestling part of the evening over, the big question: Can the Netherlands find the back of the net? Or will Portugal hang on?

87. min.
Netherlands unable to mount a controlled attack.

88. min.
Kuyt with a nifty turn-around shot, but Ricardo holds.

89. min.
Kuyt again fails to connect with a dangerous cross.

90. min.
Six minutes of injury time!

90. min.
+2 Netherlands far too hectic to put Ricardo under pressure.

90. min.
+4 Free kick for Portugal, who are trying to kill the clock.

90. min.
van Bronckhorst is done after a desperation foul.
+4 9 against 9!

90. min.
+6 One last chance for the Netherlands, but another cross finds no takers.

90. min.
+6 Portugal hold on for a 1-nil win to book a place in the quarterfinals against England.
Record number of players sent off for two yellow cards. Netherlands' still without a World Cup title, after Maniche's goal is enough for Portugal to progress.