STOKE CITY FC 2 PORTSMOUTH 2
This was an interesting,if at times nervy encounter.Not a lot happened until the last 20 minutes.
Fortunes ebbed and flowed for both teams.Stoke defended solidly until they were undone by a rebound from an Abdy Faye tackle.The ball found Nugent who immediately played the ball through to Kranjcar who slipped the ball beneath Sorensen for Pompey's opener.
Almost from the restart a Stoke long ball over the top was headed backwards by Campbell under challenge from Sidibe.Johnson chested the ball down but was adjudged to have used his arm...a fortunate penalty break for the Potters.Beattie gave England keeper James no chance from the spot.....all square.
Again in very little time Stoke were ahead....this beautifully worked goal from open play the only one owing nothing to luck.Wilkinson broke down the right wing as he had done on several earlier occasions.His cross under pressure reached Pugh at the far post.He skillfully and deliberately drove the ball into the ground.It rose above the Pompey defenders for Beattie to head into the net at the far post from three yards out.
Stoke played out the remaining 10 minutes without too many frights.The ref then magically conjured 4 extra minutes...this seems almost to be a default figure nowadays.With 2 minutes gone the ball reached Hreidarsson in the Stoke box .He was not challenged,shot speculatively.The ball appeared to be going wide but deflected sadly off (the admirable)Shawcross into the net.
Two each....game over..one point instead of three.Still not getting the full rub of the green.......
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