NUREMBERG, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Portugal kept a first half lead down to the end at an intense game against old foes Holland, winning 1-0 here on Sunday to reach their first World Cup quarter-finals in 40 years after both sides were reduced to nine men.

    The Portuguese booked their place in the last eight of the World Cup after taking the stormy encounter and set up a meeting with England on Saturday, while Costinha and Deco will be suspended and Cristiano Ronaldo doubtful after being injured.

    "They are vital players for us but we will have others that can fill in for them, even if England is a tough opponent," said Portugal's Brazilian coach Luis Feilipe Scolari.

    Both sides finished with nine men after a game equalling the World Cup record for bookings and broke the record for red cards.

    Russian referee Valentin Ivanov flashed 16 yellows to both sides and sent off two from each on second marks while the match went to brink and had been interrupted for 10 minutes in total.

    The air turned burning in the dying seconds of the first half stoppage time when Portugal's Costinha, booked earlier for a foul on Phillip Cocu, was sent off after picking up a second yellow card deservedly for a deliberate handball.

    Eighteen minutes into the second half, Holland's Khalid Boulahrouz received his second yellow card for a foul on Luis Figoto make it 10 men apiece.

    On the 78th minute, Portugal's Deco picked up a second booking for time-wasting after the Barcelona midfielder picking up the ball at a Dutch free-kick. He was booked for a reckless lunge on Johnny Heitinga just five minutes ago.

    Four minutes into the stoppage time, the Netherlands were also cut to nine men as Giovanni van Bronckhorst was shown his second yellow, and a red for a foul on Tiago. It was the fourth sending off, a new record in this year's tournament, and the 16th yellow card, equalling the record.

    Chelsea midfielder Maniche made the breakthrough for Portugal in 23 minutes after a sluggish start for the Portuguese as the 29-year-old picked up the ball from Pauleta, sidestepped to the right and hammered a right-foot shot past Dutch keeper Edwin Van Der Sar.

    It has also been Machine who scored to dump Holland out of the 2004 European Championships in a semifinal clash in Lisbon.

    Portuguese celebration, however, was snapped on the 34 minute when Cristiano Ronaldo was forced to leave the pitch with an injured leg sustained in a ball-control challenge and was substituted by Sabrosa Simao.

    "We are a talented squad and we deserved the victory," said Maniche.

    He blamed the referee, however, for overreacting to what he thought was not a violent match.

    "The referee did not contribute to the spectacle," said the 29-year-old. "I don't think that it was such a violent match to merit so many sendings-off."

    Before the Portuguese opened the scoring, both sides, rated highly as two European heavyweights, bore a dull showdown despite a terrific start for the Netherlands.

    The Dutch have showed their teeth in less than one minute into the match, as Mark van Bommel's shot from 20 meters, set up by a nice effort from Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt, flied narrowly wide.

    But the match went into a sluggish style, and neither team put real challenges to their opponents.

    Van Der Sar, now the most capped player in Dutch football history on his 113th appearance, even risked a blunder at 13 by letting the ball slip under his foot before he recovered to clear.

    Holland went close to an equalizer in 49 minutes when Phillip Cocu got a rebounds off Nuno Valente and slammed it against the underside of the bar before the ball bounced down and out to safety.

    Just two minutes later, Mark van Bommel fractioned a shooting opportunity and drove in the ball before Ricardo tipped it just around the post, as Holland stated their intent early on. Enditem