Portsmouth stun Spurs to set up FA Cup Final against Chelsea

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Portsmouth may be rock bottom of the Premiership, and have already been relegated down to the Championship, the second tier of English football, where they will play next season, but they are having a love affair with the FA Cup.

The cash-strapped team from the city which is home to the Royal Navy entered administration in February and, as a result, the club, already bottom of the premier League, were deducted 9 points by the Premier League, dooming them to relegation.

But today was all about the FA Cup, the world's oldest and most watched domestic football tournament, and an opportunity to forget about their league troubles.

Portsmouth surprisingly won this grand old competition in 2008 under manager Harry Redknapp. Today, at Wembley, in the Semi-Final (nowadays, the FA Cup semi-finals are also played at the national stadium), they came up against north London giants Tottenham Hotspur, who are managed by Harry Redknapp and whose two strikers today, Defoe and Crouch, once played for Portsmouth.

The match finished 0-0, but two goals, one in each half, including a penalty from former Tottenham star Boateng, in the 30 minutes of extra time gave Pompey an unlikely victory.

Portsmouth will face Chelsea - who Portmouth manager Avram Grant once managed - who beat Aston Villa 3-0 yesterday in the other semi-final, in the 129th FA Cup Final at Wembley on 15th May.

Chelsea won the FA Cup last season, so this year's Final will be contested between the tournament's last two winners.

Before today, the last time a team reached the FA Cup Final despite being relegated from the Premier League was in 1997 when Middlesbrough managed it (they also played Chelsea in the Final).

Portsmouth's Israeli manager, Avram Grant, will no doubt celebrate with his players tonight, but tomorrow football will take a back seat as Grant flies out to Auschwitz to remember family members who ­perished there during the atrocities of the Second World War.

Pompey stun Spurs to reach FA Cup Final

Boateng's penalty made the game safe for Portsmouth

By Phil McNulty
BBC Sport at Wembley


FA Cup Semi-Final (at Wembley)

VS

Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (after extra time)
Piquionne 99
Boateng (pen) 117

Portsmouth: James; Finnan, Mokoena, Rocha, Mullins; Wilson, Brown, Dindane, Yebda, Boateng; Piquionne

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Bale; Bentley, Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric; Crouch, Defoe


Jubilation: Portsmouth players celebrate reaching the FA Cup final

Portsmouth emerged from the wreckage of relegation and financial meltdown to beat Spurs at Wembley and set up an FA Cup final date with Chelsea.

Avram Grant's side have experienced both ends of football's emotional scale in the space of 24 hours - recovering from finally seeing relegation back to the Championship confirmed by upsetting overwhelming favourites Tottenham Hotspur with two goals in extra time.


Grounded: Michael Dawson (second left) tries in vein to stop Fredrique Piquionne from poking Portsmouth into the FA Cup semi-final

Spurs, with former Pompey boss Harry Redknapp in charge and with one-time Fratton Park stars Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch in their starting line-up, edged a colourless first 90 minutes before Grant's underdogs struck in the extra period.

Wembley's appalling playing surface took a large share of the responsibility for the lack of quality on show, playing a crucial role in the goal that sent Grant on his way to a final date against his old club Chelsea nine minutes into extra time.

Michael Dawson lost his footing as he went to make a clearance and Frederic Piquionne pounced to beat Heurelho Gomes from eight yards and lay the foundations for Pompey's unlikely progress.

As Spurs threw men forward in desperation, the excellent David James made a crucial block from Vedran Corluka before victory was sealed in front of Portsmouth's ecstatic fans three minutes from time.

Wilson Palacios hauled down Aruna Dindane and former Spurs star Kevin-Prince Boateng added another layer of irony on this semi-final of many sub-plots by rifling home the penalty.


Jubilation: Piquionne is congratulated by his team mates after scoring against Tottenham

Spurs fans deserted Wembley in droves instantly - this was a day of joy for Grant and his players, who mixed desire, determination and occasionally desperation to record a landmark triumph.

Pompey have been on the brink of extinction as they fight for their very survival, and yet their FA Cup run has provided relief amid their turmoil and they now have the chance to finish this season with a flourish against holders Chelsea.

2010 FA Cup Final

Chelsea VS Portsmouth

Saturday 15th May, Wembley Stadium

Chelsea go into the match five time winners of the FA Cup (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007 and 2009) whilst Portsmouth go in winning the FA Cup twice (1939, 2008 ).

Chelsea were winners of both of the games in the 2009–10 Premier League, winning 2–1 at Stamford Bridge and 5–0 at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth have reached the Final of the FA Cup in the same season as being relegated from the Premier League. The last team to do the same was Middlesbrough in 1997.

Spurs will rue a succession of missed chances in normal time, with Crouch the main culprit, although James tormented him with a succession of fine saves, including a crucial block with legs with just seconds left of the 90 minutes and the scoreline still goalless.

Redknapp was gracious in defeat as he embraced Grant at the final whistle - but Spurs will be devastated to go into this semi-final with such high hopes and end dejected and empty-handed.

And how Pompey fans enjoyed the sight of their former manager being forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat at the final whistle.

The blame for a lacklustre first 45 minutes lay, quite literally, at the feet of the players as they struggled to adapt to Wembley's unreliable surface.


Wasted: Tottenham's Peter Crouch (left) is thwarted for the umpteenth time by David James

It was also the catalyst for two harsh bookings for Dindane and Tom Huddlestone.

Dindane's feet clearly went from under him as he attempted to tackle Palacios, while the striker was then on the receiving end of a collision with Huddlestone, who was also betrayed by the pitch.

Avram to fly to Auschwitz tomorrow to pay respects to his relatives who perished there


Portsmouth manager Avram Grant

Football will take a back seat as Grant flies out tomorrow morning to Auschwitz to remember family members who ­perished there during the atrocities of the Second World War.

Tomorrow marks ­Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Grant reflected: “My father was a survivor of the holocaust, but he buried his father and ­mother, five sisters and 15 uncles and aunts, yet he was the most optimistic guy I ever met in my life.

“I always remember his day. It is a very ­special day, not just for Israeli people, but for what happened during the war.

“I shall be going to the March of the Living in Auschwitz because I want to remember, and we are choosing to love people not hate them.

“Sport is one thing, but this is something ­entirely different.”

Both sides did manage to fashion opportunities, with James saving well from Crouch's header before acrobatically clawing Huddlestone's long-range effort over the top.

Pompey's best chance fell to Piquionne, who could only strike the outstretched left leg of Gomes as he raced clear into the penalty area.

Piquionne was guilty of wastefulness in front of goal again after 55 minutes when he headed tamely at the exposed Gomes from Dindane's cross.

This was the signal for Redknapp to make the change Spurs' fans had been demanding as he sent on Roman Pavlyuchenko for Defoe, who had cut a subdued figure for most of this semi-final.

Crouch should have taken advantage of a moment of uncertainty from James after 68 minutes, but he headed off target after the keeper failed to deal with David Bentley's corner.

And Pompey had another escape when Aaron Mokoena diverted Corluka's cross towards his own goal, only to recover as Crouch closed in.

Crouch was getting into the danger areas without providing the finishing touch, and he was frustrated again with 15 minutes left as he headed Gareth Bale's cross off the outside of the upright as James scrambled to regain his position.

And the striker was denied again deep in injury time when he looked certain to score from Bale's low cross, but could only divert his finish against the legs of James, condemning a game low on real quality to 30 minutes of extra time.

After surviving all the pressure Spurs had inflicted upon them it was Pompey who broke the deadlock nine minutes into the extra period - and once again an accusing finger could be pointed at the pitch.

Dawson slipped attempting to clear a routine free-kick and the ball fell invitingly for Piquionne to slip the simplest of finished under Gomes. It was cruel on Dawson but Pompey's joy was unconfined.

Spurs thought they had swiftly restored equality when Crouch bundled the ball into the net, but referee Alan Wiley adjudged that Niko Kranjcar had fouled James as he challenged for Bale's cross.

Suddenly, there was desperation in the air for Spurs and they were almost caught on the break by John Utaka, but he wasted the final pass and Luka Modric was able to recover.

James, who had stood firm, then blocked Corluka from point-blank range before Pompey broke again to score the second and decisive goal.

Palacios was beaten for pace by Dindane and left Wiley with an easy decision to point to the spot.

Boateng slammed home the kick and the remarkable story of Portsmouth's season of struggle will have another chapter against Chelsea at Wembley next month.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport
 
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