North Korea, who did so well against Brazil - holding out for 55 minutes and scoring a consolation goal in the last - would have to go one step better against Portugal; who themselves only had one point on the board, from their game against Ivory Coast.

Cristiano Ronaldo, already on a yellow card, would miss the Portugal vs Brazil game with another booking here; so we expected football, not diving.

North Korea started a little more adventurous than they did against Brazil, which in turn gave Portugal more space to run into.

From a corner in the seventh minute, North Korea's Ri Myong-Guk came off his line and totally missed the ball; giving Ricardo Carvalho a free header onto the top corner of the upright.

A few minutes later, Cha Jong-Hyok gave Portugal a minor scare as his shot screamed wide of Eduardo's goal.

North Korea put together some good passing to get into the Portugal box in the seventeenth minute; Eduardo needing to get his hand to Hong Yong-Jo's surprise attempt at goal. Not a great shot but cause for concern; all made possible because the ball rolled away from Ronaldo, who had drifted into the middle a little in search of the ball.

Two minutes after North Korea were falsely called offside, Tiago found plenty of room in the middle to comfortably thread the final ball through a gap in the North Korea penalty area, for Raul Meireles to finish.

Half-time: 1:0

At the start of the second-half, Portugal streaked forward and Tiago's shot had to be tipped over the bar; as the Europeans tried to show that they were back in business.

A couple of minutes later, Jabulani caused Ri Myong-Guk problems; bouncing, bobbling and generally not wanting to be cleanly gathered. We've seen those go in.

The pressure paid off as Simão ran on to a Meireles through-ball; after a neat chested one-two on the edge of the North Korean area.

North Korea paid the price for being adventurous and it looked like the floodgates were finally opened: as two minutes later Hugo Almeida headed Fabio Coentrão's cross home; then on the hour it was the turn of Cristiano Ronaldo to provide for Tiago.

In less than six minutes North Korea were completely taken apart and their World Cup dreams truly sunk by an all-guns blazing, Portuguese side.

With plenty of free runs, it only seemed a matter of time before Cristiano Ronaldo would add his name to the scoresheet as well.

Instead it was Liedson, only on the pitch for a few minutes, who crashed in Portugal's fifth.

But there was still time for Cristiano Ronaldo not to disappoint, then Tiago joined the rout to put Portugal in seventh heaven and leave Sven Goran Eriksson deep in a goal difference hole - even if Ivory Coast could beat North Korea and Brazil were to beat Portugal in the last group games.

Portugal 7 North Korea 0