It was an ugly, hostile match — although for someone like me, it was a kind of enjoyment. Every action was played on the edge, with enormous and constant tension. Winning justified everything.

The Russian referee was in the thick of it throughout. Costinha and Deco were dismissed for Portugal, while Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst received their marching orders for the Netherlands — making it the worst disciplinary record in World Cup history.

Old rivalries fuelling the fire

Maniche pointed to history as a driving force behind the intensity. Two years prior, at Euro 2004 on home soil, Portugal had beaten the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals, leaving a residue of rivalry that had not faded by the time the two sides met again in Germany.