A rain swept night saw little Pompey entertain A.C. Milan, arguably the world’s most prestigious club.
With a team full of Brazilian and Italian internationals, Milan had an air of confidence about them as they emerged from the newly tiled Pompey away team dressing room. Only a managerial fool would take any Premier League team for granted. Carlo Ancelotti duly obliged by announcing in his pre-match press conference that Milan had done its homework, singling out Peter Crouch as the obvious danger man.
They could be forgiven for concluding this, considering Diarra, Kranjcar , Defoe and Utaka were all nursing injuries bad enough to prevent even a place on the bench. Maybe Ancelotti had dismissed Kanu as a threat, considering him too old, especially since Kanu played for Inter Milan long before Ancelotti took up the reins at neighbouring A.C.
And of Hughes? Diop, Little? Traore? Belhadj? Probably none of them making an appearance on the note pads of the pre-match intelligence gathering scouts. But surely Johnson would have been well known beforehand? With a style that would grace any Italian team, you would have thought he would be marked out of the game, a mistake that nearly led to Milan’s demise.
The match started brightly with both sides probing, Milan through the middle and Pompey along the wings. Traore and Beldhadj a treat for the eyes, making the aging Milan side look pedestrian in comparison.
But as with any quality Italian team, rest on your laurels and you will be punished. Luckily for Pompey two strikes by Inzaghi hit the woodwork rather than the back of the net and the game remained balanced between the counter attacking Italians and a home side that huffed and puffed to little effect.
Crouch and Kanu were combining well but Crouch failed to convert a number of chances including a spectacular but ineffective over head kick.
After the break Milan started well but Pompey gained more confidence with Johnson coming more into the game. Defender? Winger? You decide, but the effect was devastating. On 62 minutes, a hard cross from the right wing saw Kaboul out muscle his markers and thump a header into the back of the net past a stunned Dida.
For the next 10 minutes it was all Pompey and Johnson again crossed from the right, this time low into the six yard area and Kanu converting into the corner of net.
Ronaldinho and Pato replaced Shevchenko and Kaka and Milan came back strongly with Inzaghi again hitting the post, this time from a diving header. Pompey looked to be holding out until Kanu was replaced by Davis and the game changed.
4-4-2 became 4-5-1 with the flu bound Davis looking as if he should have stayed on the bench. Within minutes Johnson was adjudged to have brought down Ronaldinho and the resultant fee kick saw Ronaldinho beat James from 25 yards. James arguably should have done better standing at least a yard off centre and then diving haplessly a yard short of the expertly placed kick.
At 2-1 with seconds to go, glory turned to dismay as Inzaghi finally netted to the sounds of a disbelieving Fratton Park.
It would have been great to have won, but the victory was there all the same. This was the best attacking performance by a Pompey team this year and possibly only bettered by the battering we gave Newcastle last season.
Man of the Match. Glen Johnson, Portsmouth
Pompey: James, Johnson, Kaboul, Distin, Belhadj, Little (Mvuemba 66), Diop, Hughes, Traore, Crouch, Kanu (S. Davis 81).
Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Pamarot, Wilson.
Yellow Card: Hughes.
Goals: Kaboul 62, Kanu 73.
A.C. Milan: Dida, Zambrotta, Favalli, Senderos, Antonini, Gattuso (Seedorf 65), Emerson, Flamini, Kaka (Alexandre Pato 74), Inzaghi, Shevchenko (Ronaldinho 74).
Subs Not Used: Kalac, Kaladze, Pirlo, Bonera.
Yellow Card: Antonini.
Goals: Ronaldinho 84, Inzaghi 90+2.
Attendance: 20,403
Referee: Serge Gumienny.
Half time v Milan
