Debt ridden and recently relegated Portsmouth were hoping for some reprieve against Tottenham Hotspurs this afternoon as they battled for a place in the FA Cup Final.
Tottenham were the obvious favourites for this game which was played over the same sloppy Wembley pitch which sent many Villa and Chelsea players sprawling yesterday.
Spurs took control of the game early on with Crouch testing James on a couple of occasions but Portsmouth weren’t going to sit back and play the underdogs and they also looked for a way to goal as this game opened up, as both sides slipped and fell on the surface which was breaking up under foot.
Piquionne came close to opening up the scoring for Pompy in the first half but, like yesterday, it was 0-0 at halftime at Wembley stadium. Although the levels of excitement were much higher than had been offered yesterday and an exciting second forty-five was guaranteed.
It was much the same in the second half with the possession and chances split. Piquionne threatened again for Portsmouth while Crouch and Defoe linked up snap off a shot which was saved by James. The hour mark passed with the game still at 0-0 and as the possibility of Extra-Time and Penalties loomed, Spurs picked up their play and Crouch came very close with a header following a corner. He really should have bulged the net but he sent the shot wide.
Moments later Crouch was denied a tap-in from six yards when Mokoena dived across for a great block, before the Pompy defender nearly knocked the ball into his own goal after blocking another ball headed Crouch’s way. Portsmouth then had a small and threatening spell of possession on the seventy minute mark which ended fruitlessly as these two teams continued to try to batter down each other’s defenses.
They were forced into Extra-Time after a ninety minute deadlock. Spurs lashed a few efforts on goal as we began the added time but Portsmouth were the ones to grab the first goal and turn Wembley into a rash of screaming Blue. Piquionne took down a headed pass from a Freekick and calmly slotted the ball past Gomes to send the struggling side into a rapture.
Crouch then had two chances with one shot hitting the outside of the post and the other finding the net but being disallowed by a strict referee. In the second half of Extra Time Tottenham continued to look for the equalizer but it was Portsmouth who scored the second goal when Boatang converted a penalty to send Pompy into the Final of the FA Cup, where they will play Chelsea in a bottom vs top game.