/ 5 April 2008

Portsmouth end 69-year wait for FA Cup final appearance

Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 69 years on Saturday when a 54th-minute goal from Nwankwo Kanu gave them a 1-0 semifinal win over West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium.

The Premier League team’s slender victory over their Championship (second division) opponents ended the chance of this year’s final being the first to be contested by two teams from outside the top flight since league football started in England in 1888-89.

Portsmouth will now play either Cardiff City or Barnsley, who meet in an all-Championship semifinal on Sunday, in the final at Wembley on May 17.

West Brom, who were the better team for much of the first half, went close to an equaliser when Robert Koren hit the bar after 75 minutes, but Portsmouth held on to reach the final for the first time since 1939. — Reuters