Portsmouth keeps it late to advance in FA Cup
Source: Agencies |
January 14, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AARON Mokoena headed the winner in the final minute of extra time as Portsmouth rallied to beat Coventry 2-1 and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday.
Held 1-1 at home by second-tier Coventry, Portsmouth fell behind in the replay when Leon Best scored with a half-volley in the 22nd minute. But Avram Grant's team, last in the Premier League and having major cashflow problems, forced extra time when Coventry defender Stephen Wright headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear the ball.
The match appeared set to go to penalties but Mokoena was left unmarked to head Portsmouth's winner in the last few seconds of extra time.
Portsmouth, which is banned from signing players during the transfer window because of cash problems which led to the players not getting paid on time, now has a lucrative home game against Sunderland for a place in the last 16.
Barry Ferguson fired Birmingham into the fourth round in a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, ending Forest's 18-game unbeaten run.
The experienced midfielder netted his first goal for the club since joining Birmingham from Scottish champion Rangers in July. After a 0-0 draw at Forest, the only goal of the replay came in the 62nd minute at St Andrews.
It was Birmingham's 14th league and cup game without defeat but Forest, which lies second in the second-tier League Championship, must now concentrate on getting promotion to the Premier League.
Dropped out
In Spain, Villarreal dropped out of the Copa del Rey after Roberto Trashorras' injury-time penalty gave second-division Celta Vigo a 1-0 victory.
Goalkeeper Diego Lopez got a touch to Trashorras' spot kick but couldn't keep the strike out as Celta Vigo advanced to the quarterfinals 2-1 on aggregate.
In Italy, AS Roma rallied to beat Serie B side Triestina 3-1 and advance to the Italian Cup quarterfinals.
After Triestina went ahead with a penalty kick from Luigi Della Rocca five minutes in, Roma responded with scores from Matteo Brighi, Mirko Vucinic and Julio Baptista.
Triestina was awarded a penalty when Marco Cassetti was whistled for a foul on Della Rocca in the center of the area. Della Rocca's spot kick was directed at the center of the goal but Roma goalkeeper Alexander Doni dove to his left and could only tip the ball slightly with his left foot before it went in.
In the final action before halftime, Triestina failed to clear a cross from Marco Motta and the ball reached Brighi, who scored with a bouncing shot.
Roma forward Jeremy Menez went on after the break and provided the cross for Vucinic's score on the hour mark. Baptista made it 3-1 with a free-kick over Triestina's wall in the 80th.
Vucinic set up two more potential scores but Motta and Baptista both missed the target and he couldn't find the goal himself with a clear look in the closing minutes.
Roma captain Francesco Totti and newly signed striker Luca Toni both sat out the match.
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