FC Edmonton 1-1 Pompey, 4-5 on penalties

Pompey recorded another pre-season friendly win in the early hours, although technically this was a draw and then a penalty shootout win, to beat FC Edmonton and lift the Edmonton Cup.

This is a nice looking trophy, which you will see on The Pompey Site, so it was nice to see Pompey win something with a pretty patched together side.

After going 1-0 down we came back to equalise through Nadir Ciftci, which meant penalties.

Liam O'Brien's, who had come on for Jon Stewart - who has a suspected broken leg, saved from Antonio Rago to hand us the win.

So, this win has come at a cost with a couple picking up serious injuries and others picking up knocks - more on this to follow.

The official match report can be read below...

PLAY UP POMPEY!

Pompey Win Edmonton Cup
by Mark Storey in Edmonton

Pompey won on penalties to lift the Edmonton Cup in Canada on Wednesday night.

Nadir Ciftci scored the decisive spot-kick as the Blues beat FC Edmonton 5-4 in the shoot-out at the Commonwealth Stadium.

Skipper Marc Wilson lifted the huge silver trophy won by River Plate last season, sparking celebrations among the travelling Pompey fans.

Liam O'Brien saved Antonio Rago's penalty with David Nugent, Matt Ritchie, Wilson and Michael Brown all netting for the Blues.

It came after a 1-1 draw in normal time with Ciftci scrubbing out Chris Lemire's early opener.

But the win was soured by injuries to Jon Stewart and Tom Kilbey.

Keeper Stewart left the Commonwealth Stadium in an ambulance bound for Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital after a collision with team-mate Joel Ward left him with a shin injury.

And Kilbey limped out clutching his right knee - leaving Pompey with just 12 fit players on their North American tour.

The start was disastrous for Pompey.

Within six minutes they were a goal - and two men - down.

The Blues were opened up down their left and when Matt Lam crossed, Lemire got in front of the centre-halves to sweep a shot past Stewart from 10 yards.

Stewart, clutching his lower right leg, was unable to get up, and, after play was held up for six minutes, left the field on a stretcher.

As he did so Kilbey, also holding his right knee, limped off.

Pompey had begun the game with just three substitutes and suddenly had just one left: Perry Ryan.

The artificial turf, with a base a rubber bobbles made from recycled tyres, was causing the Blues problems.

And they nearly went 2-0 down when O'Brien, on for Stewart, had to scramble away Stephen Jordan's poor back-pass.

Backed by a healthy number of Pompey fans in the crowd of nearly 9,000, Steve Cotterill's men slowly found their feet.

The passing was crisper as Ciftci fired narrowly wide, substitute Pete Gregory just failed to send Nugent clear and Ward headed just past the post.

And seven minutes before the break they equalised. Ritchie crossed low and hard after a cleverly-worked short corner and CIFTCI stole in to poke home.

The sight of Ryan, the only remaining substitute, warming up on his own at half-time summed up Pompey's plight.

When he replaced Jordan early in the second half, Pompey's bench was empty.

It could have gone either way after the break, with O'Brien saving from Sam Lam, who fired another chance over.

But Pompey slowly began to take control.

Nugent felt harshly treated when his thump into the net was ruled out for a foul by Ward on keeper Rein Baart.

But he could have no-one to blame but himself when he raced clear from Brown's pass only to fire into the side-netting.

Baart then twice came to Edmonton's rescue, turning a Ciftci effort around the post and then denying Ryan after a scramble in the box.

But there was no separating the sides and the game went to penalties - with Pompey triumphant.

Pompey: Stewart (O'Brien 13); Ward, Wilson (c), Jordan (Ryan 51), Martin; Pack, Brown, Kilbey (Gregory 13); Ciftci, Ritchie; Nugent

FC Edmonton: Baart; Duberry, Matthijs, Hamilton (Saiko 65), Saler; M.Lam, Vangessel, Kooy, S.Lam (Schriver 80), Lemire (Rago 87); Cox (Timotijevic 69)

Attendance: 8,792

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