Diarra's performance was top notch once again and he got on the scoresheet with a fine strike after playing a neat one-two with Defoe. However, Guimaraes were gifted a penalty a few minutes after for what looked like a "nothing" foul by Sol Campbell.
To add insult to injury he was booked for the so-called "offence" but thankfully Joao Fajardo buckled under the pressure of the Fratton Park crowd and struck his penalty onto the crossbar. Unfortunately Defoe also spurned his spot kick after being fouled by Joao Moreno as Nilson saved to his left.
Thankfully Defoe made amends for that poor penalty kick by scoring the second goal after finishing a great cross by Nadir Belhadj. The Algerian left back impressed once again and worked very well with Armand Traore down the wing.
I think we were well worth the win in the end after we created the best chances and forced Nilson into a couple of good saves. Vitoria weren't too effective overall, although they did have a few attempts that Pompey fans were relieved to see miss the target.
A 2-0 lead is a very healthy one to take to Guimaraes in two weeks and I feel if we can grab a goal at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques than that will finish Vitoria off. However, the tie isn't over yet though and we may be left cursing that saved spot kick and Nilson who produced several excellent saves to keep his team in it.
One more thing, the atmosphere at Fratton Park was amazing tonight and the best it has been for a long time. The whole ground was buzzing and it was great to see all four stands sing in unison (and stand together when singing about Southampton too!)
There wasn't too many Vitoria fans at the game but those I did get a chance to speak to came across as good people who were modest about their team's chances. I'm looking forward to meeting more of them in Portugal in two weeks and sampling the atmosphere in Guimaraes.
Overall it has turned out to be a very satisfying European debut for Pompey. The odds are firmly stacked in our favour and I'm confident we can finish the job in Portugal in a fortnight.
Pompey Player Ratings
David James: 6 - Dealt with the opposition shots well.
Glen Johnson: 7 - Another good performance.
Sol Campbell: 6 - Steady showing.
Sylvain Distin: 7 - Consistent as usual.
Nadir Belhadj: 8 - Should be signed permanently based on this game.
John Utaka: 6 - Back to his frustrating ways.
Sean Davis: 6 - Worked hard.
Lassana Diarra: 9 - A different class once again.
Armand Traore: 7 - A bit naive but worked well with Belhadj.
Jermain Defoe: 7 - Good goal but tame penalty.
Peter Crouch: 6 - Not very effective.
Substitutes
Jamie Ashdown
Younes Kaboul
Hermann Hreidarsson (Traore 90): N/A - Late sub.
Arnold Mvuemba
Papa Bouba Diop (Utaka 73): N/A - Added some steel late on.
Glen Little
Kanu (Crouch 90): N/A - Late sub.