Wrexham, Wales, ENG — Sam Smith struck twice at STōK Cae Ras to hand Wrexham a hard-fought Championship victory over Portsmouth, with the hosts holding firm despite the visitors dominating possession throughout.
Smith opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, giving Wrexham an early foothold. The forward then struck again in the 39th minute, with Max Cleworth also finding the net in the same minute to cap a decisive spell before the break.
Portsmouth pulled one back four minutes into the second half through Zak Swanson, but could not find an equalizer despite controlling the ball for the majority of the contest.
GOALS:- 23' Sam Smith - Wrexham- 39' Sam Smith - Wrexham- 39' Max Cleworth - Wrexham- 49' Zak Swanson - Portsmouth
STANDOUT PLAYERS:- Wrexham: Sam Smith - 2 goals, decisive first-half performance- Portsmouth: Zak Swanson - Pulled one back, kept Pompey in contention
KEY STAT: Wrexham converted 5 of 10 shots on target compared to Portsmouth's 1 from 9, despite being outpossessed 60-40.