Most referees will argue that the failure to send off Boulahrouz and to stamp his authority on the game was Ivanov's only serious mistake. In fact, the first 35 minutes of the match were relatively calm, with just three yellow cards handed out, about average for the tournament.

But Ivanov was forced to react to the players' bad behavior rather than being able to predict and control it.

The first 14 minutes of the second half were free-flowing and compelling soccer. No cards were shown and the referee should have been enjoying the match.

Then, in one incident, it all went wrong. As Ivanov booked Giovanni von Bronckhorst for tripping, players milled about arguing and, behind the referee's back, Portugal captain Luis Figo clearly head-butted Mark van Bommel. The assistant ref saw something, but Figo only received a yellow card for what was clearly a red-card offense.

From then on, both teams lost control and the final whistle was a relief. It would have been no surprise if both teams had finished with eight men rather than the nine they wound up with.

Portugal clearly had an interest in disrupting the match as much as possible, preventing the Dutch from finding any rhythm. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is wily and sought to use every means available to stop the Netherlands from building up any pressure.

Ivanov is no newcomer. He has refereed a Champions League semifinal match between Inter Milan and AC Milan, and the final of the Confederations Cup. At 45, he is the oldest ref at the World Cup.

If Ivanov was allowed to justify himself in public,which all refs are discouraged from doing,it's pretty certain he would say there comes a point when soccer players decide they want to behave like animals. And one man with a whistle can't do much to stop them.