Portsmouth’s striker Lomana LuaLua wants to fight a Football Association charge of insulting and abusive behaviour but may have

Portsmouth’s striker Lomana LuaLua wants to fight a Football Association charge of insulting and abusive behaviour, but may have to accept a hefty fine.
LuaLua is alleged to have gestured to Middlesbrough supporters who barracked him during Pompey’s 1-1 draw at the Riverside in October.Portsmouth’s chief executive Peter Storrie thinks he witnessed the incident in question and describes the charge as “utter nonsense,” but reports that a video of the episode has been passed to the police on Teesside means LuaLua probably has no real defence. I decided to confront Mendes about it and he confirmed it to me.”I was shocked and perplexed that it took place on the eve of their semi-final and two days before our semi-final with Deportivo.”Abramovich had come to Porto to contact the very probable opponent in the Champions’ League final. Then Chelsea took it upon themselves to lose 3-1 in Monaco to avoid a possible investigation into the owner of one of the finalists having agreed terms with the coach of the other.”In his own recently-published autobiography, Mourinho says he met Abramovich on 28 May, two days after the Champions’ League final.. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Makelele, Geremi, Gudjohnsen.Referee: M Busacca (Switzerland).. Chelsea’s preparations for last night’s Champions’ League encounter in Portugal were overshadowed not only by threats made by disgruntled Porto fans to their former manager, Jose Mourinho, but also by accusations of match-fixing from the Porto president, Nuno Pinta da Costa. Substitutes not used: Sacramento (gk), Bosingwa, Ricardo Costa, Pepe.Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Paulo Ferreira, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas; Parker; Smertin (Tiago, 62), Bridge; Lampard; Duff (Robben, 55), Drogba (Kezman, 78).

He soon produced an impressive effort from a cross by another substitute, Quaresma, which flew over the bar, and five minutes from the end Quaresma crossed again from the left, McCarthy’s header allowing the champions to fight another day alongside Chelsea.Porto (4-1-2-1-2): Nuno; Seitaridis, Jorge Costa, Pedro Emanuel, Areias; Costinha; Diego (Cesar Peixoto, 78), Maniche; Derlei (Quaresma, 60); McCarthy, Luis Fabiano (Postiga, 75). Hearing that CSKA were ahead in Paris and that a win would therefore put them through, Porto brought on Helder Postiga, who has not flourished since his famous goal for Portugal against England last summer. Porto resumed strongly and had an equaliser within quarter of an hour. After Diego’s fierce shot was blocked when a cross was headed out to him, the talented young Brazilian was in the same place to try again as John Terry attempted to head clear. This time his even stronger drive from 20 yards flew past Petr Cech.Mourinho replaced Alexei Smertin with Tiago, but Porto had their tails up and Cech, having an indifferent night, was again unconvincing in pushing away McCarthy’s low effort. Lampard’s break, bringing a redemptive save from Nuno, was Chelsea’s only opportunity of the half. Drogba ­ the victim of some isolated racist abuse ­ laid the ball back for Lampard to play an excellent pass forward for the vibrant Duff, who cut inside his man and hit a left-foot shot that Nuno feebly helped on its way into his net.If Duff’s work was done early in the second half, Robben replacing him, Chelsea’s was not.

Just after the half hour Chelsea forged in front with another smooth move in the same area of the pitch. Then Duff struck to redouble the pressure on them.Duff first fed Frank Lampard, whose miscue allowed the ball to fall neatly for Bridge to drive wide with his weaker foot, and when the Irishman then found Lampard on the overlap, Didier Drogba met the cross with a firm header, Nuno pushing it on to the bar. Fabregas steadied himself, shifted the ball in front of a defender and joyfully lifted it beyond Johnsen to became Arsenal’s youngest goalscorer in European competition.Immediately Arsenal were jolted. Taking his seat just before the teams emerged, the prodigal son appeared to be in danger only of being mobbed by photographers, who were shepherded away from the dug-out.