WORLD CUP ROUNDUP

WORLD CUP ROUNDUP
Sunday's games
Portugal 1, Netherlands 0
NUREMBERG, Germany -- Portugal survived a brutal foul-fest with the Netherlands, one of the dirtiest matches in World Cup history. Cleats bashed into thighs and shoulders, heads butted and elbows flew. Players faked injuries, complained and brawled. Every bit as ugly: the blaming and finger-pointing that came after Portugal's win, a victory that cost the Portuguese two key starters for their upcoming quarterfinal match with England on Saturday. "FIFA talks about fair play," Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "There was no fair play." The Dutch coach, Marco Van Basten, shot back: "If you talk about fair play, you should watch yourself first," adding that the Portuguese needed the shenanigans to beat his young team. "They were a bit more experienced with all these tricks and all this time wasting," he said. But when it came to expulsions, the sides were level at 2-2. The four red cards were a World Cup first and raised the number in this tournament -- whose motto is "A time to make friends" -- to 23, already a World Cup record after 52 matches with 12 to go. It also means the Portuguese face England minus Deco and Costinha, who were ejected amid the pushing, shoving and theatrics that left both teams with nine men by the end. Portugal also lost Cristiano Ronaldo, a creative attacker, who came off with a leg injury from a second harsh foul. His status was still uncertain. "Cristiano has five, six days to recover. We hope he will recover," said Scolari, who extended his World Cup record mark to 11 straight victories amid the chaos. The Brazilian led his home country to the 2002 title. The 16 yellow cards Sunday tied a World Cup match record, with nine for Portugal and seven for the Netherlands. But the difference in the game was a beautiful goal by Maniche in the 23rd minute that came off a quick threat on the edge of the area. Pauleta touched the ball to Maniche, who skipped inside a defender and shot right-footed past goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar from 16 yards.
England 1, Ecuador 0
STUTTGART, Germany -- David Beckham was feeling nauseous. England's offense was just as sickly, with nothing to show for an hour of aimless passing against Ecuador in the 90-degree heat. Then Beckham's right foot lived up to its fame, squeezing England into the World Cup quarterfinals. Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute, his first goal for England in nearly 15 months -- and the lone highlight in an otherwise ugly victory over Ecuador. A few minutes later, he vomited on the field because of dehydration, and left the match in the 87th minute. "The last two days I've been struggling, even in training," Beckham said. Then he recounted what teammate Wayne Rooney had told him to give him a lift: "Wazza said to me before the game, 'You've been terrible the last two days, so you're going to get one tonight."' England is seeking its first World Cup title since 1966. While Beckham is soccer's best-known player, he is far from the best, a 31-year-old midfielder criticized for his lack of defense and inability to score from the run of play. But his status as a cultural icon has grown in his decade with England, especially since his marriage to pop star Victoria Adams, formerly known as Posh Spice. He has opened a soccer academy in California, and he is considering ending his career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer. His goal ended a 13-match scoreless streak dating to a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005. For England, the wait was worth it. "Obviously, Becks is crucial," teammate Owen Hargreaves said. Before Beckham's goal, the English surrendered chances to Ecuador and missed a few of their own. The game finally turned when Edwin Tenorio fouled Frank Lampard outside the penalty area, giving England the free kick. The English captain, whose darting shots inspired the 2003 movie titled "Bend it Like Beckham," snatched the ball from the referee, lined up his planned trajectory and sent the ball spinning and twisting toward the goal. It hooked ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in bright yellow shirts and dipped toward the corner. Goalkeeper Cristian Mora dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips, but couldn't stop it from grazing the post and squirting into the net. Becoming the first Englishman to score in three World Cups, Beckham ran wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole. Adams, the focus of television cameras, jumped up in the stands.
STUTTGART, Germany -- David Beckham was feeling nauseous. England's offense was just as sickly, with nothing to show for an hour of aimless passing against Ecuador in the 90-degree heat. Then Beckham's right foot lived up to its fame, squeezing England into the World Cup quarterfinals. Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute, his first goal for England in nearly 15 months -- and the lone highlight in an otherwise ugly victory over Ecuador. A few minutes later, he vomited on the field because of dehydration, and left the match in the 87th minute. "The last two days I've been struggling, even in training," Beckham said. Then he recounted what teammate Wayne Rooney had told him to give him a lift: "Wazza said to me before the game, 'You've been terrible the last two days, so you're going to get one tonight."' England is seeking its first World Cup title since 1966. While Beckham is soccer's best-known player, he is far from the best, a 31-year-old midfielder criticized for his lack of defense and inability to score from the run of play. But his status as a cultural icon has grown in his decade with England, especially since his marriage to pop star Victoria Adams, formerly known as Posh Spice. He has opened a soccer academy in California, and he is considering ending his career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer. His goal ended a 13-match scoreless streak dating to a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005. For England, the wait was worth it. "Obviously, Becks is crucial," teammate Owen Hargreaves said. Before Beckham's goal, the English surrendered chances to Ecuador and missed a few of their own. The game finally turned when Edwin Tenorio fouled Frank Lampard outside the penalty area, giving England the free kick. The English captain, whose darting shots inspired the 2003 movie titled "Bend it Like Beckham," snatched the ball from the referee, lined up his planned trajectory and sent the ball spinning and twisting toward the goal. It hooked ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in bright yellow shirts and dipped toward the corner. Goalkeeper Cristian Mora dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips, but couldn't stop it from grazing the post and squirting into the net. Becoming the first Englishman to score in three World Cups, Beckham ran wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole. Adams, the focus of television cameras, jumped up in the stands.