A solitary 37th-minute goal from Pompey striker Kanu was enough to send the Championship side back to Wales empty-handed.

There had been fears of fan violence following the ugly scenes at the Uefa Cup final in Manchester on Wednesday night.

But a strong police presence of some 1,200 officers on the streets of London helped ensure there was no major trouble around the Wembley final.

Both teams were bidding to win the cup for only the second time in their history - Portsmouth last held it in 1939 and Cardiff in 1927.

The Bluebirds kept pushing for an equaliser right to the end, sending on 17-year-old Aaron Ramsay to become the second youngest player to appear in an FA Cup final.

However, the challenge proved too much for the Welsh side, who were bidding to become the first team outside the top flight to lift the trophy since West Ham in 1980.

Although much of the game lacked major excitement, the Pompey fans inside the stadium gave their team an ecstatic response as the final whistle was blown.

Thousands of supporters are expected to turn out when the players take an open-top bus victory parade through Portsmouth city centre to celebrate their triumph.

Tens of thousands of football fans flocked to London from the South Coast and South Wales for the final.