Portsmouth Football Club News

Peter Crouch scored twice as Pompey trounced Kano Pillars 5-0 at the Abuja Stadium. John Utaka, Ben Sahar and Kanu added the others in a comfortable win over the Nigerian Premier League champions. Pompey could have had plenty more with Pedro Mendes hitting the post and Jermain Defoe twice going close. A rainstorm had welcomed Pompey to the Abuja Stadium for a match played in front of a disappointingly small crowd. Eleven intrepid Pompey fans had made the trip to Nigeria, however, and the Pompey players took to the pitch to the familiar strains of supporter John Westwood’s bugle and bell. The FA Cup was on show overlooking the pitch as a reminder of Pompey’s triumph at Wembley in May. And it took just eight minutes for one of the heroes of that day, UTAKA, to open the scoring. The Nigerian international raced from the halfway line and swapped passes with Sahar before rounding Pillars keeper Theophilius Afelo. Fellow Nigerian Kanu had a less memorable start to the game, however, needing treatment after colliding with a Pillars defender. But he was soon back on his feet and testing Afelo with a long-range shot before missing the target after being set up by the impressive Sahar. Kanu then forced a save from Afelo after his skill had opened up the Pillars defence. Pillars’ best moment of the match came when Jamie Ashdown had to save from Habiba Yunusa at his near post. But Pompey broke upfield and doubled their advantage, SAHAR linking with Kanu before skipping around the keeper to score. Sahar threatened to add another when he burst away from his marker down the left. But he curled his effort wide of the far post. Afelo then had to keep out Sahar’s looping header from Martin Cranie’s cross. Pompey extended their lead from Utaka’s corner when Papa Bouba Diop nodded the cross back for KANU to head in. Half Time: Kano Pillars 0 Pompey 3 Harry Redknapp made nine changes at half-time with Ashdown and Cranie the only two to play the whole 90 minutes. The focus was immediately on the pairing of Crouch and Defoe up front, and they didn’t disappointment, regularly carving open the Pillars’ defence. But it was substitute Niko Kranjcar who created Pompey’s fourth, tricking his way down the right and crossing for CROUCH to slide a shot in off the post. Pompey’s dominance was total and Mendes almost made it five, bending a shot against an upright, while Defoe and Kranjcar had efforts kept out. And in the closing minutes Pompey’s fifth goal arrived when CROUCH volleyed home Cranie’s cross. Pompey: Ashdown; Primus (Lauren 46), Campbell (Pamarot 46), Distin (Traore 46), Babayaro (Hreidarsson 46); Cranie, Davis (Mendes 46), Diop (Mvuemba 46), Utaka (Kranjcar 46); Sahar (Defoe 46), Kanu (Crouch 46) Kano Pillars: Theophilius Afelo (Omoregie Uwigbe 60); Alhaji Mohammed, Balarabe Alaye, Bala Mohammed, Abdullahi Abubakar, Abdulwaisu Showemimo (Moses Ogago 60), Ahmed Garba (Sulisu Suleiman 60), Solomon Okpako (Munzali Yusuf 60), Hillary Chukwu (Aminu Tahir 64), Shagari Mohammed, Habibu Yunusa

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