17 May 2008
VIDEO: Niko Kranjcar pitchside interview
Niko Kranjcar told TheFA.com of his joy at winning his first major trophy abroad at Wembley..

Cardiff City

0-1

Portsmouth

 

 

Kanu 37

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 midfielder Niko Kranjcar told TheFA.com about his joy at winning The FA Cup at Wembley, a place he really loves playing.

Kranjcar lifted his first major trophy on Saturday since leaving Croatia for Pompey two years ago.

It was the 23-year-old's third visit to Wembley and each time he's ended up on the winning side. He scored the opening goal for Croatia in their 3-2 win over England in November, but says this victory over Cardiff eclipses anything else.

"This means everything to me," Kranjcar told TheFA.com. "It's my first trophy abroad and when you come to a country where The FA Cup means so much it's a great honour.

"It's the biggest trophy of my career so far."

He added: "It's unbelievable. I'm liking Wembley even more because it's my third time playing here and I've had three wins, which is a great feeling. The atmosphere is great and I've enjoyed myself today again.

"This is the biggest. I've won a trophy and it's my first major trophy abroad and it's a great feeling."

He was also proud to show off his medal shortly after collecting it.

"It's great, it's going to have a special place in my room," he said.

To watch the interview with Kranjcar, 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)