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Match Report
Portsmouth v Bolton 08 May 2005
Bolton secure UEFA spot
Portsmouth 1 - 1 Bolton
Bolton cemented their place in next season's Uefa Cup despite only drawing with Portsmouth 1-1 after taking the lead through El Hadji Diouf.
Despite dominating for large spells against a lethargic Portsmouth, Yakubu Aiyegbeni's goal in the 72nd minute was enough to secure a surprise point for Alain Perrin's side.
For Portsmouth the first half was an afternoon siesta on the South Coast.
With safety assured the home side were dire against a Bolton outfit snappy in the tackle - with the lure of European football acting as a motivation Portsmouth sadly lacked.
The opening exchanges were littered with errors and it was no surprise that loose passing in Portsmouth's midfield led to the game's opener. When Diouf, mercilessly barracked throughout and later booked for a wild challenge, was presented with possession courtesy of a misunderstanding between a nervous Valery Mezague and Arjan De Zeeuw he only had one thing on his mind.
Having eased into second gear past Dejan Stefanovic, the Senegal international dispatched from the narrowest of angles eight yards from goal.
A previously peripheral Jay-Jay Okocha then tested Jamie Ashdown's reactions at his near post with a rasping effort from distance before, on 25 minutes, Portsmouth mustered their first and only real effort of a languid first half.
Gary O'Neil's free kick was hit with appropriate pace but straight at Jussi Jaaskelainen, with the Finnish custodian left to palm over with consummate ease.
The same player could have done better when having turned Bolton's back four but his shot was tepid and easily gathered, leaving Gary Speed to ponder how he failed to double Bolton's advantage as the half drew to its close.
A wayward backpass, via Okocha's flick, arrived at his feet when free in the box but the Welshman had too much time and could only drag his shot wide and the chance was lost.
If the first period was a siesta then the second may have occasionally raised from the slumbers of a snooze but was still miserable.
Portsmouth conjured the first opportunity worthy of mention when Giannis Skopelitis caused consternation for Jaaskelainen with a swerving drive but even with the introduction of a second striker a leveller looked increasingly unlikely.
Then came Yakubu's inadvertent intervention. O'Neil's free kick from the right was flicked on by De Zeeuw at the near post and off the Nigerian's eye as the ball crept over the line for an unlikely equaliser.
Bolton could have snatched all three points had substitute Kevin Nolan shown greater composure late on, but the powerful midfielder saw his close range effort smack the outside of Ashdown's near post and rebound to safety.
The rest of the half failed to muster any chances or even incident, as Bolton struggled to find a winner in the final stages of a game that had the look of 22 players already thinking about their holidays
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