Cardiff 0 Portsmouth 1
Posted on May 18, 2008
Filed Under Fa Cup
Portsmouth won there first Fa cup since 1939 in this not very exciting game of football but all credit to Cardiff who gave it there all to try & win there first cup since 1927 & be the first team from outside the top flight to win since 1980.Portsmouth had Pedro Mendes starting & Cardiff left Robbie Fowler out of the squad all together but it did look like they could have done with him sometimes.
After the national anthems were sung & the coin toss the game started.It was Cardiff who settled the best they took the game to Portsmouth & started to create some chances.The ever lively Joe Ledley who must be a target for premiership sides played in Paul Parry after only 12 minutes but David James who was back in the side today made a crucial block to denie him.The in the 22nd minuted we saw the miss of season at the new wembley.
It was Kanu who somehow got the ball of Muntari skipped past a defender them rounded the keeper Enckelman only to place his shot against the bottom of the post & out.Live from the pitch he should have scored it was probably easier but the tv replays showed it was harder to hit the post!!.Cardiff kept pressing & the football was that controlled & not many chances but in the 37th minute Kanu made amends.
Utaka had the football down the right hand side ran to the defence stopped the dummied the defender created a yard & whipped in a cross straight at Enckelman but instead of getting a hand to it he palmed it up into the air & there was Kanu to tap the ball into the net & score.Cardiff nearly got back into the game straight away when Parry got clear down the left & put in a great cross but Kevin McNaughton was stretching all the time & couldn’t make anything of it.
They also had a goal ruled out in injury time of the first half when a corner came in & there was panic in the Portsmouth defence when James came to claim it & didn’t get hold of it & as he went for it again he palmed it straight onto Loovens arm who then controlled it & made a superb lob into the net over Glen Johnson’s head but the ref ruled the goal out for hand ball & that was the end of the half. Harry Redknapp
The second half started with Cardiff chasing the game & Portsmouthlooked like they were content with a one nil.All thought it was Cardiff who had to defend first as Loovens had to chest away a Kanu shot which looked like it was going into the net . Cardiff were no threat to Portsmouth who looked very comfortable & just playing the game out.So after the hour Dave Jones made a sub when he brought on the very talented Aaron Ramsey for the disappointing Whittingham.
It didn’t make much difference as Cardiff really didn’t make anything so Jones made anothersub with 20 Min’s left when he took off the veteran Hasselbaink & replaced him withThompson & Harry responded with bringing on Nugent to replace Utaka.It was Nugent who had the next chance when he collected the football & ran at the defence but he saw he was all alone so he created some space & struck a fantastic hard rising shot which Enckelman had to safe at his near post.
With 10 minuted left Cardiff started to throw more men forward & Ramsey started to create some chances & made one for Loovens when he sent over a nice set piece & Loovens got on the end of it but his header hit the ground & bounced over the bar.All Cardiff could do was to push forward as much as possible to get this equaliser & send the football match into extra time.
But while doing that they left themselves open & Distin who had the ball at the half way line decided to run at them & went & ran straight into the penalty box from the half way line & nobody could touch him but it was only a fantastic challenge from Roger Johnson that stopped it being a super goal.There was 4 minuted of injury time at the end but Cardiff had nothing left & the game petered out & Portsmouth had won the cup.
Harry became the first English manager to win the Fa cup since Joe Royle in 1995 with Everton.But he had deserve it after 25 years in football everyone would agree its about time & with Portsmouth in Europe next season there maybe good times ahead for the Portsmouth fans. Dave Jones
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