Kanu leads Portsmouth to FA Cup victory

Portsmouth won the FA Cup for the first time in 69 years on Saturday when striker Nwankwo Kanu's first-half goal secured a 1-0 win to overcome the spirited challenge of Championship side (second division) Cardiff City.

The first final not to feature one of the current 'big four' teams since 1991 was initially open and adventurous, given a magnificent backdrop on an overcast day at Wembley by both sets of noisy fans making the most of a rare moment in the limelight.

The goal came after 37 minutes when midfielder John Utaka whipped in a low cross from the right and Cardiff's on-loan Finland goalkeeper Peter Enckelman could only push it into the path of Nigerian Kanu, who fired it straight back past him to make amends for an earlier miss when he hit a post.

Portsmouth's win secured a place in next season's UEFA Cup. Cardiff had held their own in a lively first half but the Premier League side took command after the break and were never seriously troubled in the second period with Pompey's central defenders Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin quick to snuff out any threat from the Welsh team.

Portsmouth took the lead after Cardiff, playing in their first final since their only victory in 1927, had been the better side in the opening spell. Despite their early running and territorial domination, the best chance before the goal also fell to Kanu. He should have put Portsmouth ahead after 22 minutes when he outpaced central defender Roger Johnson, took the ball wide of Enckelman, who had a poor first half, then missed a great chance when he hit the post and side-netting from an acute angle.

Portsmouth's 4-5-1 formation produced few scoring opportunities, apart from the one Kanu missed and the one he scored, but it proved effective in the end. Cardiff, attempting to become the lowest-ranked team to win the FA Cup since 1901, looked dangerous on the break with Paul Parry having an attempt saved by David James after 13 minutes and creating an opening for Kevin McNaughton five minutes before the break when he might have attempted a shot of his own. Johnson also went close with a header from a Peter Whittingham free-kick, but despite taking the game to Portsmouth Cardiff failed to score when they were on top.

They did, however, have the ball in the net just before halftime when Glenn Loovens lobbed the ball over James and under the crossbar but referee Mike Dean had already blown for a handball by the Dutch defender. UEFA CUP Portsmouth improved in the second half with Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar dominating in midfield and taking the game to the Championship team with some excellent passes and well-timed runs.

Cardiff, who replaced tiring veteran Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for the last 20 minutes, then rallied as time began to run out and only some frantic defending by the Portsmouth back line kept their goal intact in the closing minutes. Portsmouth's fifth 1-0 win from their sixth match in the competition this season clinched a UEFA Cup place and meant Harry Redknapp became the first English manager to guide a team to success in the final since Joe Royle of Everton in 1995.