The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
The Final
3pm, Saturday 17 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs will receive £1,000,000 from The FA
Portsmouth defender Hermann Hreidarsson spoke to TheFA.com after winning the biggest match of his career.
Hreidarsson has plied his trade in English football for over a decade - and said Pompey's 1-0 win over Cardiff City weekend topped the list of his career achievements so far.
"It's up there, it's right at the top of it!" he smiled.
The big Icelandic defender played a crucial role as Pompey kept a vital clean sheet at Wembley to ensure FA Cup glory for the South Coast side and their raucous travelling army of fans.
Hreidarsson dedicated the win to the fans, saying, "They deserve it."
"What a day, we've had two great days at Wembley.
"The Final's been a long time coming. We've been waiting for it and we fancied our chances."
But despite looking strong in defence and dominating exchanges in midfield, Portsmouth found Cardiff a tough nut to crack, with Kanu's 37th minute tap-in proving the only goal of the game.
And as Cardiff threw players forward in a late bid to equalise, Hreidarsson and his defensive colleagues came under pressure, causing a nervy finish for Pompey players and fans alike.
"It was a little bit [nervous]," he explained.
"They went close a couple of times."
But Hreidarsson and the Pompey defence held firm and sealed Portsmouth's first FA Cup win in 69 years.
"It's a big relief, we made it and The Cup is ours!" he grinned.
To watch the interview with Hreidarsson, click on the link above.
Teams
Cardiff City
1 Peter Enckelman, 2 Kevin McNaughton, 3 Tony Capaldi, 4 Gavin Rae (18 Trevor Sinclair 87), 6 Glenn Loovens, 7 Peter Whittingham (30 Aaron Ramsey 62), 10 Stephen McPhail, 11 Paul Parry, 12 Roger Johnson, 16 Joe Ledley, 36 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (20 Steven Thompson 71)
Subs
13 Michael Oakes, 5 Darren Purse
Portsmouth
1 David James, 5 Glen Johnson, 6 Lassana Diarra, 7 Hermann Hreidarsson, 11 Sulley Muntari, 15 Sylvain Distin, 17 John Utaka (10 David Nugent 69), 19 Niko Kranjcar, 23 Sol Campbell, 27 Nwankwo Kanu (9 Milan Baros 87), 30 Pedro Mendes (8 Papa Boupa Diop 78)
Substitutes Not Used
21 Jamie Ashdown, 16 Noe Pamarot
Attendance: 89,874
Match Officials
Referee: Mike Dean (Cheshire FA)
Assistant Referees: Trevor Massey (Manchester FA) & Martin Yerby (Kent FA)
Fourth Official: Chris Foy (Liverpool FA)