Fans pulled us through
Pompey's heroes hailed the Blue Army passion as the club's first-ever European adventure continued in dramatic style last night.
Harry Redknapp's men claimed a hard-earned place in the group phase of the UEFA Cup as Peter Crouch's extra-time double rescued Pompey against Vitoria Guimaraes.
That earned a 2-2 draw on the night and a 4-2 aggregate success.
After a wretched first-half display, the goal hero admitted his thoughts turned to the travelling supporters as Pompey trailed 2-0 at the interval.
>>> Watch FREE match highlights. Click here.
Please note: The goals are provided by a third party and could be removed at any time. Also the commentary is in Portuguese.
But Crouch – whose first goal was his 100th in club football – insisted it was the Blues' loyal fans who helped inspire the comeback.
He said: 'At 2-0 down I started thinking of the fans who had come out here in their numbers. There were so many of them and it would have been so frustrating just to go out with a whimper.
'But we turned in a much better performance in the second half. We were fitter than them and we deserve to be in the next round. They helped us to battle back.
'Of course I'm happy to score the goals, but it turned out to be a great night in the end for everyone connected with Portsmouth and we're all delighted we're through.'
Goalkeeper David James also produced heroics with a fabulous save to keep Pompey in the tie just moments before Crouch netted his first with a header.
>>> Burton's Banter - Johnson inspires Pompey Euro glory. Click here to read the full post.
And James agreed the fans had played a major part in getting their team through a difficult tie.
He said: 'Our fans were absolutely awesome – again.
'They are all on their first European adventure and as players we want to make it last as long as we can for them. It was a fantastic turnout from our fans.
'When I came out for the warm-up there were only a few there and I thought they hadn't been given too many tickets or money was too tight to make the trip.
'But I should have known better and they were out in big numbers. When we came out just before kick-off, it was absolutely packed which was great to see.
'I could see our fans were going absolutely bonkers when Crouchie scored and I was joining in with them! We knew that was the crucial goal.'
James also praised the character of the side to bounce back and take their place in Tuesday's draw for the UEFA Cup group phase.
He said: 'I think we showed good character because the last two times we've gone two goals down we've completely folded.
'But in the second half, we were a different team.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 15 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
