The much awaited south coast derby was staged at St Mary’s Stadium. Southampton and Portsmouth fought tooth and nail, but the match resulted in an intense 0-0 draw. It was the first Cup rivalry league meeting between the two competitors in 13 years. Fans and players alike were hooked by the excitement that surrounded it.
The first game of the tournament featured some intense action, as Conor Chaplin of Portsmouth proved here, competing with his neighbor Southampton’s Shea Charles for possession. With countless chances on both sides, both teams were unable to find the back of the net. My bad, Cameron Archer came pretty close to 4-0 in the second half. Portsmouth’s impenetrable defense was too much for him, as they made the stop.
Key Moments of the Match
The match included a number of key moments that decided the result. Portsmouth midfielder Nico Schmid suffered an injury in the first half. That was followed by a forced substitution, with replacement stopper Ben Killip coming in after 26 minutes. Connor Ogilvie blindsided Schmid, further compounding the loss. Consequently, Ogilvie was forced to withdraw at half-time with a career threatening serious neck injury. He was later admitted to the hospital for additional workup.
As the game wore on, there were opportunities on both sides to take the lead. In the 77th minute, Terry Devlin stepped up and fired a low drive to the goal. The shot was aimed straight at Southampton’s young goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu. Earlier, Southampton came within a whisker of taking the lead, but Andre Dozzell clipped the crossbar with his attempt.
“A real blow, but I thought it was a really, really poor challenge. It doesn’t look like a huge amount, but everybody in the stadium can see that the goalkeeper’s coming out, particularly the Southampton player [Tom Fellows],” – John Mousinho.
Despite the attacking threats that both teams brought, great individual defensive efforts prevented either from breaking through on an exciting scoreline. The Portsmouth defence did well to deny a real opportunity for Cameron Archer just after the half-time break. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Archer let fly a bomb from well outside the area. Lastly, he forced the Portsmouth goalkeeper into action.
Defensive Resilience Prevails
Will Still, Southampton’s manager after the game said that their performance was lucky, creating chances but not taking enough of them.
The game took off the rarely battled but extremely heated rivalry developing between the athletic campuses. It shed light on the need to capitalize on scoring chances as they move up through the league.
“It’s frustrating. The first half probably wasn’t good enough. We looked like a new team that’s trying to build itself, that’s trying to look for its references, find the right distances,” – Will Still.
Both teams leave this derby feeling like winners with a point apiece. They have a big chance to build momentum now as they look ahead to their next few fixtures. The seriousness of the injuries from the match casts a shadow over Portsmouth, specifically with Schmid’s likely fracture and Ogilvie’s subsequent hospitalization.
Looking Ahead
John Mousinho was proud of his team’s effort despite the frustrations borne out on this occasion.
John Mousinho remained proud of his team’s effort despite the frustrations of the game.
“I’m very proud of the performance. Physically, the lads were absolutely excellent,” – John Mousinho.
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