10 of the most talked about matches in the last ten FIFA World Cups (excluding the final)

#3 The Battle of Nuremberg

One of the many ugly moments in the Battle of Nuremberg

The Battle of Nuremberg is so-called because the match saw four red cards and sixteen yellow cards, thereby setting the record for the most cards shown at the FIFA World Cup. All the rules of sportsmanship were broken as the referee failed to control this 2006 FIFA World Cup match.

There were numerous confrontations which made this contest a bloodbath. In the first of many instances, Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz was booked for injuring Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo left the pitch in tears, and went on to recount the tackle as "clearly an intentional foul to get me injured."

In another heated moment, Luis Figo headbutted Mark van Bommel and received a yellow card. Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari even appreciated the headbutt saying: "Jesus Christ may be able to turn the other cheek but Luís Figo isn't Jesus Christ." Portugal's Deco roughly fouled Dutch defender John Heitinga and was booked.

One of the unwritten rules of football tells that the Netherlands should have given the ball back. But they didn't. These were just some of the hot-blooded moments as the fourth official had to intervene when Boulahrouz was sent off.

Phillip Cocu wrestled Deco in order to retrieve the ball. And, Simao drew the ire of Edwin van der Saar in his attempt to score a goal.

Portugal won the match 1-0. But till date, no one talks about Maniche's goal. All they talk about is the unsportsmanlike conduct of the players and the coaches.