Pompey 2 AC Milan 2: Deflation yet celebration

What can be said?
There are no words that can possibly do Fratton Park justice last night.

Thousands of fans around the city - and the country - will have walked into work today bulging with pride.

The superlatives have been flooding in via The News' website and, while the feeling after AC Milan's late equaliser was one of overwhelming deflation, there is also a large element of celebration.

Firstly at the performance of Pompey's patched-up team, which defied all expectations.

And secondly, at the way the fans showed the rest of Europe what they are about.

Here, in no particular order, are my highlights of an extraordinary night from my seat in the Milton end.

- Jumping up and down in delight when Younes Kaboul scored - and then jumping a foot higher in disbelief when Kanu found the roof of the net.

- Hearing Pompey fans shout 'who are ya?' at the travelling Milan brigade without a hint of irony. For 80 minutes, they were justified!

- Watching Ronaldinho counter a volley of abuse from one particular fan by blowing him an exaggerated kiss - the fan soon lost his bottle!

- Being directly behind the great Brazilian's free-kick - you just heard the net ripple as everyone gaped in admiration.

- Watching two players acknowledge the crowd in two very different ways. Despite preparing to defend a corner, Belhadj couldn't resist a couple of cheeky waves to the crowd, who promptly told him to pay attention to the game! Clarence Seedorf, meanwhile, swaggered along the touchline before regally saluting the Milton end - three Champions League wins allows you to do that!

- Seeing Richard Hughes scythe down Flamini - Pompey's resident AC Milan fan will savour that moment for the rest of his life!

- The spine-tingling, awe-inspiring 15-minute chant of 'Tony Adams' blue and white army' which reverberated all around the ground. During the performance there was a break in play and you could see the players looking around in amazement.

- Being 10 yards from Kaka as he stood at the near post.

- Sensing a degree of inevitability, having to watch Inzaghi prod home the equaliser as Pompey's backline lost their men. When Glen Johnson hammered the ball back into the net in frustration, he spoke for all of us.

- Finally, the applause from Ronaldinho directed at all parts of the ground during his warm-down. A classy man from a classy club. AC Milan's comments after the match were humble and appreciative of Pompey's players and atmosphere, capping a wonderful fixture.

There we go, a few titbits from the night, which is one of the best games I've ever had the privilege to be at.

Feel free to share your memories from the game in the comment box below and I'll be sure to pick out the best ones for publication in the Sports Mail and The News.

Make the city proud, Pompey

If there is to be a pinnacle of Pompey's current era, tonight is surely the night.

Don't get me wrong, the trips to Wembley were gloriously spine-tingling.

But earning the right to play AC Milan in a competitive fixture? That's off the scale.

Kaka (one of the best players in the world) will line up at Fratton Park with Ronaldinho (one of the best players in the world) ready to come off the bench.

The Rossoneri are taking this seriously. That's the mark of Pompey's progress in recent years.

These are uncertain times at Pompey following Harry Redknapp's departure but, for all the scale of tonight's occasion, we mustn't cower in the face of the Italians.

Pompey are a quality team in their own right.
The worry is, of course, that the spine of this side is missing.

Jermain Defoe, Lassana Diarra and Sol Campbell are definitely out, seemingly undermining Tony Adams' faith that his charges can still pull off a Uefa Cup shock.

The creative Niko Kranjcar is also missing, although the absence of John Utaka won't break too many Pompey hearts.

Personally, I just hope Pompey do the city proud.

Historic is an overused word, but this really is a game people will remember for generations.

After the struggles of the 90s, to see the boys in blue give it absolutely everything against Milan will be enough for me.

If Adams' team do that they give themselves a chance of getting a result. That's all anyone can ask.

To those people who seized the chance to watch the likes of Seedorf, Kaka, Pato, Shevchenko, Pirlo, Ronaldinho et al train at Fratton Park last night, I applaud you.

This is not something which you can expect to come round that often.

Obviously, the hope is Pompey will build on their recent success and Euro nights like this will be more common in the future.

The reality is this may not happen.

So join me in savouring watching Pompey v AC Milan under the Fratton Park floodlights in a crunch Uefa Cup game.

Play up Pompey.

AC Milan will define glorious Pompey era

Can it get any better than this?
I think not.

Pompey will play AC Milan at Fratton Park in the biggest game in the club’s history.

No-one can quite believe it - the Rossoneri at Pompey.

It’s the best outcome possible from the never-ending UEFA Cup draw and it will define this current glorious era at Fratton Park.

Ronaldinho, Kaka, Maldini, Nesta, Pato etc will descend on Portsea Island.
And, quite frankly, It’s a dream come true.

Here’s what’s in store:
Oct 23: Braga (away)
Nov 27: AC Milan (home)
Dec 4: Wolfsburg (away)
Dec 17: Heerenveen (home)

Who would have thought when Pompey beat Bradford to stay in the Championship in 1998 that 10 years later the Blues would be playing the San Siro giants?

Who would have thought when the team beat Barnsley to (once again) stay in the Championship in 2001 that seven years later we’d been preparing to take on the seven-times European champions?

Who would have thought that when we were heading for Premier League relegation just three years ago The Great Escape would lead to Pompey mixing it with one of the biggest clubs in world football?

Well, not me.

Any Pompey fan who said they did are lying.
On the south coast, we are currently basking in the warm afterglow of the greatest cup draw they will ever have witnessed.

There is a knot of excitement in my stomach at what lies in store.

If there is a tinge of (churlish) disappointment, it’s that Pompey will not run out at the San Siro.

But, having said that, watching Ronaldinho and Kaka’s playing at Fratton Park will be a treat.
A vociferous Pompey reaction awaits them.

A home tie also gives us the best chance of a result.

Dream on I hear you say.
Well, we did that a year ago and look’s what happened since.