Crouch double saves Pompey

Crouch: Extra-time double

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Peter Crouch scored an extra-time double to put Portsmouth into the group stages of the Uefa Cup.

Guimaraes made a lightening start to cancel out their 2-0 first-leg deficit inside 32 minutes, with Douglas and Joao Alves on target to leave Pompey shell-shocked.

Harry Redknapp's men regrouped and gained the upper hand as the Portuguese hosts ran out of steam in the second half.

Crouch then struck both sides of the break in extra-time to ensure the club's first-ever European campaign did not falter at the first hurdle.

It was much harder work than it appeared, with Guimaraes calling for a penalty in their first real attack when the ball appeared to hit Sylvain Distin's arm but the appeal was ignored by Turkish referee Selcuk Dereli.

However, the visitors paid the price for a sluggish start when Douglas volleyed past David James from close range in the 19th minute, with Portsmouth having made a mess of clearing a corner after Danilo's header was deflected behind.

Distin and captain Sol Campbell both failed to cut out the ball to the Brazilian who found ample space to chest down and fire home.

Douglas was booked, presumably for over-celebrating his goal, but it was not long before the home fans had something else to cheer.

Fizz

Wenio gave Pompey another scare with a long-range strike and there was a sense of the inevitable when they wiped out the visitors' advantage after 32 minutes when Joao Alves' 35-yard shot from a short free-kick fizzed past the unsighted James.

Pompey had still not produced a decent effort on goal by the time they earned a free-kick just outside the area in the 40th minute, with Flavio booked for his protests.

Goalkeeper Nilson punched away Armand Traore's delivery, rising above Crouch and Campbell in a crowded area.

Glen Johnson briefly raised hopes, cutting in from the right to hit a left-foot drive but Nilson spread himself athletically to push the effort away for a corner.

It was no surprise when Redknapp switched from his 3-5-2 to a more adaptable 4-4-2 after the break, converting Distin to an orthodox left-back and pushing Traore forward in front of him.

It almost paid instant dividends in the 49th minute when Defoe slipped in Traore as the Frenchman came racing from the wing only for his poor first touch to dribble the ball into the grateful arms of Nilson.

Soon afterwards the goalkeeper plunged to make a clean save from Crouch's cross which was aimed at Defoe.

Threat

Defoe was offside when he shot into the side-netting - but at least Pompey were finally looking a threat as the game moved towards the hour mark.

They started to dominate possession, England right-back Johnson finding plenty of scope as a right-winger.

But James had to make a save after 62 minutes when Douglas let fly from outside the area.

The long diagonal ball to Crouch's head looked the obvious route to the one goal that would win the tie on aggregate, but Pompey had to be careful not to turn it into a predictable habit.

Crouch headed straight at Nilson from Traore's cross in the 81st minute and Johnson also went close with a shot as Pompey dictated the closing stages.

But the vital away goal would not come and they were made to pay for their first-half sloppiness by having to go into extra-time before finally finishing off their opponents.

Crouch made no mistake for his 100th goal in club football when nodding in Johnson's delivery in the 105th minute, and six minutes later he took substitute Nadir Belhadj's pass before unleashing a superb finish into the roof of the net from just inside the box.