Pompey bow out with win

The England striker scored a quick-fire double just before the interval.

The victory was sealed in stoppage time by Hermann Hreidarsson's towering header.

Jamie Ashdown was given a chance in the Portsmouth goal and he was pressed into action immediately as Heerenveen made a lively start, with Paulo Henrique forcing a smart save before Roy Beerens struck the post after latching onto a ball in behind Portsmouth full-back Marc Wilson.

Pompey should have taken the lead after Armand Traore's storming run from halfway but Crouch stabbed his first-time shot across the goal and wide of the far post.

The England striker then contrived to hit the crossbar after Wilson had picked him out in the box with a brilliant cross-field pass. The ball bounced up invitingly for Crouch but he could only poke it onto the woodwork.

Pompey finally broke the deadlock when Arnold Mvuemba cut the ball back to Wilson, who floated another cross towards the far post and this time Crouch connected well with his downward header to put Portsmouth 1-0 up.

And within a minute, those early misses were completely forgotten as Crouch doubled the advantage with his first brace of the season. Kanu tricked his way into the box with a mazy run and when his shot was saved, Crouch pounced to slot home the rebound.

Portsmouth were cut open just after the hour when Heerenveen's half-time replacement Tarik Elyounoussi found himself clean through but dragged his low shot wide of the near post.

The match was petering out as a contest before Nadir Belhadj was fouled on the edge of the Portmouth box and, after a scuffle, Hreidarsson rose to head home Glen Little's free-kick in stoppage time.