Portsmouth are 2008 FA Cup Champions

Premier League club Portsmouth claimed their first FA Cup title on over 60 years at Wembley Stadium on Saturday in a tense one goal victory over Championship side Cardiff City. Wembley Stadium was a sea of blue and white on Saturday, filling to capacity 2 hours before the 2008 FA Cup final kicked off.

The first half of the 2008 FA Cup final was close and edgy, with little to separate the two sides as both engineered chances on goal. Portsmouth came closest to scoring early in the game, when Kanu broke through the Cardiff City defence only to shoot wide of the mark.

However late in the first half Kanu was given an opportunity to redeem himself when Cardiff keeper Peter Enckleman fumbled a diving save. Kanu showed great reflexes as he deflected the loose ball over the keeper’s head and into the goal.

Cardiff came close to equalising during extra time in the first half, when Loovens chipped a loose ball over the Portsmouth defence and into the back of the net. The referee adjudged that Loovens had controlled the ball with his arm, and Portsmouth were awarded a goal kick.

Despite desperate attempts to penetrate the Portsmouth defence in the second half, Cardiff were unable to produce an equaliser, and their fans began deserting their seats well before the final whistle had blown.

English football fans will now be looking forward to Wednesday’s Champions League final, which sees the two top ranked clubs in the Premier League play off for the biggest prize in Europe.