An unbelievable World Cup knockout clash between Portugal and Holland ended with Luiz Felipe Scolari barring the way for England and a spot in the semi-finals for the third major tournament running.

Just as in Shizuoka at the 2002 World Cup and Lisbon in Euro 2004, Scolari and Sven-Goran Eriksson will go head to head at the quarter-final stage, with the Swede desperately hoping it will be third time lucky.

And for once, fortune already appears to be smiling on Eriksson as Portugal will be deprived of Costinha and, much more crucially, chief playmaker Deco after the pair were dismissed in a stormy affair as both sides finished with nine men.

A game containing everything good in the game, and plenty of the bad, was settled by Maniche's first-half strike. By the time it ended, under-pressure Russian referee Valentin Ivanov had produced an incredible 16 yellow cards - equalling the all-time tournament record - plus four reds and been forced to intervene in countless minor skirmishes which did little to foster the spirit of friendship FIFA are so keen to promote.

And, through it all, Ruud van Nistelrooy remained on the bench, axed now by his country as well as his club, with his future looking distinctly uncertain.

So closely matched were these two sides on paper and so enthralling - England apart - has this World Cup been, it could have been anticipated there would be no lack of incident.

Van Nistelrooy's omission provided the first talking point an hour before kick-off.

Having dumped Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert and Roy Makaay from his squad altogether, Van Basten has already shown himself to be no respecter of reputations and Van Nistelrooy was paying the price for a series of indifferent performances in Germany which were highlighted in public by his coach earlier this week.

Van Nistelrooy's absence cost him an anticipated match-up with Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, the man with whom a training ground bust-up is said to have led to his Old Trafford exile.

Not that Ronaldo lasted long, 34 minutes to be precise.

Marc van Bommel had already been cautioned for chopping down the winger when Khalid Boulahrouz caught him with a vicious high tackle which warranted more than the yellow card it received.

The deep gash to Ronaldo's thigh proved his agonised expression was no over-exaggeration and although he made his way to the touchline for treatment on two separate occasions, he eventually left the field for good in streams of tears.

Fortunately for Portugal, the 21-year-old had already made a positive contribution, darting between Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Wesley Sneijder to seize possession before releasing Deco with an inspired pass.

The Barcelona man quickly crossed low, allowing Pauleta to lay a pass off to Maniche. No longer wanted by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the midfielder skipped inside Andre Ooijer and beat Edwin van der Sar with an impressive finish.

Ronaldo was not alone in being on the wrong end of crude tackles. Arjen Robben's shoulder was the point of impact when Nuno Valente flew in to make a high, studs-first challenge.

But it was Portugal who carried the greater attacking threat and the tie would surely have been sealed had Van der Sar not saved instinctively with his legs when Pauleta turned on to Simao's cross.

The value of the stop was heightened still further seconds later when Costinha ridiculously stuck his arm out to intercept a pass bound for Van Persie. Having already been booked, a red card was automatic.

A flurry of activity around the Portugal goal at the start of the second half saw Phillip Cocu smash a shot against the underside of the bar and Ricardo unconvincingly shovel a Van Bommel shot round the post.

Then, with the crime count mounting rapidly, Luis Figo was fortunate to escape with a caution when he shoved his head - albeit with minor contact - into Van Bommel's face.

Figo was also involved in the next incident, the one which sparked a mass confrontation between both sets of players by the dug-outs as he went down after being caught in the face by Boulahrouz's arm, prompting under-pressure referee Ivanov to produce another red card.

Deco swiftly followed, booked twice in five minutes as chaos reigned, with Van Bronckhorst also departing early in stoppage time.

Amid the carnage, Portugal's remaining nine players, marshalled by the outstanding Ricardo Carvalho, somehow survived, although in the end they were indebted to keeper Ricardo, who brilliantly denied Dirk Kuyt after Van Nistelrooy's replacement had been put clean through.

Teams

Portugal Ricardo, Nuno Valente, Ricardo Carvalho, Meira,Miguel, Maniche, Deco, Costinha, Figo (Tiago 84),Pauleta (Petit 45), Ronaldo (Simao 34).

Subs Not Used: Boa Morte, Caneira, Nuno Gomes, Paulo Ferreira, Paulo Santos, Postiga, Quim, Ricardo Costa, Viana.

Sent Off: Costinha (45), Deco (78).

Booked: Maniche, Costinha, Petit, Figo, Deco, Ricardo,

Nuno Valente.

Goals: Maniche 23.

Holland Van der Sar, Van Bronckhorst,Mathijsen (Van der Vaart 56), Ooijer, Boulahrouz,Cocu (Vennegoor of Hesselink 84), Sneijder,Van Bommel (Heitinga 67), Robben, Kuyt, Van Persie.

Subs Not Used: Babel, De Cler, Jaliens, Kromkamp, Landzaat, Maduro, Stekelenburg, Timmer, van Nistelrooy.

Sent Off: Boulahrouz (63), Van Bronckhorst (90).

Booked: Van Bommel, Boulahrouz, Van Bronckhorst, Sneijder,

Van der Vaart.

Att: 41,000

Ref: Valentin Ivanov (Russia).