The toughest match of the 2006 World Cup: Maniche speaks

The quarter-final between Portugal and the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup is on record as the toughest match of the tournament. Both teams received numerous yellow and red cards in the game. For this reason, a dedicated Wikipedia page was even created about the encounter.

Portuguese midfielder Maniche compared what happened in Nuremberg to a battle. In his view, the match was ugly and hostile. Even so, for someone like him who enjoys physical play, it could be counted as a kind of pleasure. Maniche described how every move was played on the edge and how the tension stayed high throughout.

According to Maniche, winning under those conditions justified everything. Portugal's victory overshadowed, to a degree, the debate over the physicality on the pitch. In the years that followed, the match continued to be remembered as one of the most controversial encounters in World Cup history.