Piquionne double powers Pompey
Source: Agencies |
March 7, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TROUBLED Portsmouth reached the FA Cup semifinals yesterday after Frederic Piquionne scored twice to secure a 2-0 home win over Birmingham City and give its long-suffering fans something to cheer.
Birmingham did little in the game but will go away fuming after what appeared to be a valid Liam Ridgewell goal ruled not to have crossed the line.
On the day FIFA's lawmakers ruled out the use of video technology, TV replays showed the goal should have been given.
Portsmouth, bottom of the English Premier League and facing almost certain relegation after going into administration last month, looked marginally more ambitious in a poor first half.
Both sides upped the tempo after the break and Portsmouth's growing pressure paid off after 67 minutes when Piquionne, the on-loan French striker who had scored in the Pompey's last two league games, scrambled the ball in after Birmingham keeper Joe Hart had collided with his own defender.
The second came three minutes later when Piquionne ran on to a Jamie O'Hara pass, mesmerized defender Roger Johnson with two turns and blasted beyond Hart.
Birmingham, seeking its first semifinal appearance since 1975, thought it had pulled one back 10 minutes from time after goalkeeper David James scooped out Ridgewell's header from what TV replays appeared to show was behind the goalline.
Ironically the incident came a matter of minutes after the International Board announced that it had ruled against the introduction of video technology on such issues.
In the other quarterfinals, Fulham was taking on Tottenham Hotspur later in the day while today holder Chelsea hosts Stoke City while Aston Villa visits Championship (second division) Reading.
The semifinals will be played at Wembley on April 10-11.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended the comments he made about Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross whose tackle broke midfielder Aaron Ramsey's leg in two places last Saturday.
He had called Shawcross's challenge on the 19-year-old Wales international "horrendous and unacceptable" in the immediate aftermath of the Premier League match.
Asked about his reaction, a highly animated Wenger stood by his comments when he met reporters at a news briefing before the league game with Burnley yesterday.
"I stand by what I said 100 percent," Wenger said.
"I knew exactly what would happen the whole week, that was quite easy to predict. I am sitting here now like I am in a tribunal. What do I have to defend? Is it a football game or something else?
"I can understand people want to be committed against us, and I have no problem with that.
"I love the commitment of the English game. I don't want to change that and it makes the game even more attractive, but high commitment demands fair intention as well."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
