Corbeanu stunner helps Dons to victory over Portsmouth

A stunning Theo Corbeanu strike on the stroke of half-time helped MK Dons pick up their first victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park, winning 2-1 on Saturday.

After a slow opening 20 minutes, Mo Eisa struck his seventh goal of the season with a deft finish before Corbeanu’s wonderful volley from the edge of the box clipped the underside of Gavin Bazunu’s bar to make it 2-0 before the break.

Portsmouth forced the issue in the second half and pulled one back when George Hirst converted from close range on the hour.

Daniel Harvie hit the bar for Dons, while John Marquis saw an effort chalked off for offside late on as the visitors consolidated their spot in the play-offs with a second win in a row.

Eyes were on Dons' back-line at Fratton Park, with Jamie Cumming immediately taking up residence between the posts after signing on loan from Chelsea on Thursday, while Harry Darling limped into the ground having picked up a knock in training, missing out on the squad as Peter Kioso came in in his place.

Without really finding their top gear in recent weeks, Dons made a typically slow start as Portsmouth looked to hammer home their control early on in their first game at Fratton Park since December 11. But when the ball dropped to Connor Ogilvie six yards out in the first seven minutes, the defender fluffed his lines and fired well over Cumming's bar.

The new keeper needed to be on his toes, certainly for the first 19 minutes or so as he marshalled a few crosses into his area, but when Matt O'Riley spun the ball through to Mo Eisa to coolly slot past Gavin Bazunui, it kicked Dons into gear.

By contract to Eisa's strike, Ronan Curtis twice got in behind and made a meal of it on both occasions, firing harmlessly wide with his first before hitting the second straight at Cumming.

Suddenly finding their feet, Dons slowed the pace of the game and began to poke and prod at the Portsmouth defence, with Theo Corbeanu getting the ball trapped under his feet after dancing into a dangerous spot unable to get his shot away.

He would get his reward though on the stroke of half-time and it came in stunning fashion as Dons went in 2-0 ahead at the break. Gambling on a Kieron Freeman backpass, Scott Twine was able to shrug off the attentions of Sean Raggett to get a shot away, but the blocked strike fell onto the left boot of Corbeanu who unleashed an unstoppable effort off the underside of the bar.

Portsmouth's reaction, albeit delayed by the half-time interval, was nothing short of what was expected from the hosts as they piled on the pressure to seek a lifeline back into the game. They had to be patient though despite their control, not pulling a goal back until the hour mark when George Hirst converted a low ball into the mixer to give the home crowd something to roar about.

Keeping up the pressure, Pompey limited Dons to counter-attacking football, but they could have put the game to bed when Corbeanu got in behind only to see Gavin Bazunu make the save, while Daniel Harvie had his head in his hands when his strike from the edge of the box rattled off the bar.

Cumming, in truth, didn't have a lot saves to make but when called upon he proved his worth with a remarkable stop, clawing away John Marquis' header before the striker then had the ball in the net, only to be denied by the offside flag.

Dons should have wrapped it up when both Twine and Hiram Boateng drew a stunning double save from Gavin Bazunu but they held off the late charge from the hosts to pick up their first win at Fratton Park.

Referee: Scott Oldham

Attendance: 14,958 (494)

Portsmouth: Bazunu, Freeman (Jacobs 82), Raggett, Ogilvie, Romeo, Williams (Thompson 62), Morrell, Hackett, Harness, Curtis, Hirst (Marquis 73)

Subs not used: Bass, Brown, Robertson, Carter

MK Dons: Cumming, Lewington, O'Hora, Kioso, Harvie, Watson (Baldwin 74), Robson, O'Riley, Corbeanu (Parrott 84), Twine, Eisa (Boateng 68)

Subs not used: Ravizzoli, McEachran, Ilunga

Booked: Hirst, Robson, Harvie, Marquis