Pompey crash out

Pompey out of the UEFA Cup as they lose to Wolfsburg

By Richard Bailey   Last updated: 5th December 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Pompey crash out

Defoe: Equalises for Pompey

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Portsmouth's Uefa Cup adventure is over after they lost 3-2 away to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

Pompey couldn't have wished for a worse start as they fell behind after just three minutes when Edin Dzeko got in between two defenders to fire home Christian Gentner's cross.

Tony Adam's men then turned the game around with Jermain Defoe equalising after 11 minutes when he slotted home from Armand Traore's cross then three minutes later they took the lead through Arnold Mvuemba'a deflected shot.

The home side got back on level terms less than ten minutes later when Gentner fired home from long range before Zvjezdan Misimovic sealed the win after he robbed David James of possession and fired the Germans to the top of the group.

Shell-shocked Pompey were a goal down in the third minute when Gentner showed neat skill on the right and crossed low for Bosnian Dzeko to flick home from close range.

The visitors were level in the 11th minute after a brilliant counter-attack instigated by James' early throw to Traore following a Wolfsburg corner.

The Frenchman surged down the left and clipped in a cross that Diego Benaglio could only palm to Defoe, who scuffed his shot with just enough power to creep over the line.

Amazingly, Adams' men then took the lead three minutes later when a neat passing move involving Glen Johnson and Sean Davis saw the ball end up with Mvuemba, who placed a shot into the corner of the net from 20 yards, with the help of a deflection.

It was very nearly three in the 20th minute but Defoe slid his shot inches wide from Traore's low cross.

The match was level again in the 23rd minute, however, when Gentner's low centre from the left evaded everybody and nestled into the net.

Clumsy

Sol Campbell was enduring a torrid evening and Dzeko ran off him to break clear minutes later but his effort was well wide.

Defoe was then booked for a clumsy and late tackle on Andrea Barzagli.

The England striker was played in brilliantly by Johnson on the half-hour mark but he struggled to control the lofted ball and when he turned and shot from

eight yards, his weak attempt was deflected wide.

In the 42nd minute, James got down low to tip a well-placed Misimovic shot just past the post.

The second half began amid a cauldron of noise from a crowd of only 21,000, and Niko Kranjcar was within a whisker of restoring Pompey's lead with a 20-yard free-kick, which he curled brilliantly over the wall only to see it crash back off the crossbar.

The Croatian was becoming increasingly influential and he picked out Defoe in the box after a jinking run on the hour mark, but the defence smothered the danger.

Adams then decided to introduce Peter Crouch in place of Mvuemba as he sought a vital winning goal, but James gifted Wolfsburg the lead once again with a horrible mistake.

The England stopper attempted to dribble around Misimovic near the penalty spot, but the forward simply robbed him of the ball and rolled it into an unguarded net in the 74th minute.

Five minutes later Campbell brought down Dzeko for a penalty, but James partially atoned with a parry from Misimovic's spot-kick, Johnson completing the clearance.

And with Wolfsburg content to play keep-ball for the remaining minutes, Pompey could not muster an equaliser, although even that would not have been enough to keep them in contention for a last-32 spot.