By Timothy Collings

NUREMBERG, June 25 (Reuters) - Russian referee Valentin Ivanov was given a resounding vote of no confidence by players, coaches and even FIFA president Sepp Blatter after he lost control of Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands on Sunday.

Ivanov produced his yellow card 16 times and his red card four times as both teams were reduced to nine men in their second round clash -- a record for any World Cup.

This increased the number of red cards for the tournament to a record 23 just midway through the second round and five days before the quarter-finals begin on Friday.

Portugal, who had two players sent off, five cautioned and also lost winger Cristiano Ronaldo through an injury inflicted by a high tackle, meet England in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

"I consider that today the referee was not at the same level as the participants, the players. There could have been a yellow card for the referee," Blatter told Portugal's SIC television channel.

"This was a game of emotion, with exceptional drama in the last instant, with a deserved winner," her adde.d "It was a great show with intervention by the referee that was not consistent and (had) lack of fair play by some players."

MATCH CONTROL

Ivanov, a 45-year-old music-loving teacher, attempted to establish his control from the start when he cautioned two Dutchmen in the opening seven minutes.

But instead of gaining command of the game, he sent the contest into a spiral of chaos as Portugal took a 23rd minute lead, thanks to a well-taken goal by Maniche, and defended it with every trick in the professionals' book.

In the end, Ivanov sent off Costinha and Deco of Portugal, each for two yellow cards, and Khalid Boulahrouz and Giovanni van Bronckhorst of the Netherlands, both also for two cautions.

He also handed out yellows to Portugal's Maniche, Petit, Luis Figo, Ricardo and Nuno Valente and the Netherlands' Mark van Bommel, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.

"I must say it was a pity that there was no football in the second half," said Dutch coach Marco van Basten.

"The referee made a mess of it and Portugal used all their experience, all their tricks and time-wasting. We just couldn't play. It was chaos and it should not happen this way at a World Cup."

LIKE WAR

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he was happy to win and added that such rough games were a part of his South American experience.

"Sometimes it is like war," he said. "It is like that in the Copa America and I am used to that."

Scolari said he was not worried avoutt losing players to suspension because he has a strong squad.

He defended captain Luis Figo, who was cautioned for butting Mark van Bommel in a scrap to grab the ball when the Dutch were refusing to hand it back.

Van Bommel said: "They were not any smarter than us, but the referee let them get away with it.

"If Figo butts you, and he only gets a yellow card, and then minutes later he 'delivers' Boulahrouz's second yellow when, already, he should have been in the dressing room... Well, they are crucial mistakes that shouldn't be made at a World Cup."

But Scolari said Figo only did what a committed player should do when goaded by his opponents, adding "Jesus Christ said he would turn the other cheek but Figo is not Jesus Christ. I thought he was more correct than the Dutchmen".

Scolari refused to accept that his side tricked their way to victory and Van Basten, when asked about his own team's physical style and their role in the chaos, said: "If they are talking about fair play, they should look at themselves first."

By Rex Gowar

GELSENKIRCHEN, June 16 (Reuters) - Argentina produced the performance so far of the World Cup to soar towards the second round in scintillating style with a 6-0 battering of Serbia & Montenegro on Friday in Group C.

Winger Maxi Rodriguez scored twice, Esteban Cambiasso and Hernan Crespo rounded off two other brilliant goals before substitutes Carlos Tevez and wonderkid Lionel Messi completed the demolition with super individual finishes.

Even pre-tournament favourites and holders Brazil will be wary of their fellow South Americans after this perfect exhibition of football against Serbia, a strong team who were made to look second raters even before being reduced to 10 men.

Only a freakish run of results from the group's remaining matches, also involving the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast, can deny Argentina a spot in the next round with a goal difference of plus seven with a game against the Dutch to play.

TO BE REMEMBERED

"When the team pulls together like that you get results," Tevez told reporters with classic understatement. "It was really nice to see the combination play. It is an honour to play with so many great players."

Serbia & Montenegro coach Ilija Petkovic could only watch on in awe as Argentina established themselves as new favourites for a third World Cup title.

"Our opponents were better in every part of the game and they deserve a victory," he told reporters. "I can only say congratulations. New generations will speak about this result."

Argentina went ahead with their first chance of the match after six minutes when Rodriguez fired home from the left after Javier Saviola, fed by Juan Pablo Sorin with a back heel on the left wing, steered a square ball into the box.

With playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme closely marked by Albert Nadj, creation came from all sectors of the Argentine side, notably in a superb second goal just past the hour, netted by substitute Cambiasso.

Argentina moved the ball about in the Serb half from wing to wing before Saviola fed Crespo who stepped over the ball and backheeled it for Cambiasso to fire into the roof of the net past a static Dragoslav Jevric.

Coach Jose Pekerman had been forced after only a quarter of an hour to revert to his starting line-up from Argentina's 2-1 win over Ivory Coast last weekend, bringing Cambiasso on when Luis Gonzalez, the only change in the line-up, looked like he pulled a muscle.

MAXI TWO

Rodriguez made it 3-0 before halftime when Saviola robbed the ball from Mladen Krstajic out on the right wing and ran into the box to shoot low. Jevric got a hand to the ball but it ran free for Rodriguez to tap in at the far post for his second.

Argentina brought on Tevez for Saviola and just past the hour Mateja Kezman was sent off for a two-footed tackle on Javier Mascherano.

To great acclaim from a vast majority of Argentines in the capacity 52,000 crowd, Pekerman sent on Messi in the 74th minute for his World Cup debut.

With 12 minutes left he made his presence felt, breaking down the left and sending a low ball into the box for Crespo to tuck in.

If Serbia thought the agony was over they were cruelly mistaken.

First, with six minutes left, Tevez cut in from the left, nutmegged a defender before finishing calmly with a low shot home.

Then, with two minutes remaining, Messi brought the huge Argentine fan presence to their feet yet again with a low shot through the legs of the keeper after finding room in the area.