Adrian Segecic scored on his Championship debut as Portsmouth beat Oxford
Adrian Segecic scored on his Championship debut as Portsmouth beat Oxford United 1-0 at the Kassam Stadium.
Colby Bishop's initial shot was saved and rebounded to the feet of the Australian midfielder who powerfully struck the ball into the back of the net after a loose back pass by Cameron Brannagan.
Pompey took the lead with fewer than 10 minutes to go in the first half, and Oxford's Brannagan will have been kicking himself for the way it came about.
His sloppy back pass was sent into the path of Bishop who ran through and seemed to have too long to think about his shot as he played it straight at U's keeper Jamie Cumming.
But the rebound came out to the feet of Pompey's new attacking midfielder Segecic who fired the ball home with his left foot.
Just before the break, Oxford fans called for a penalty as Callum Lang wrestled with Stan Mills on the edge of the box but the referee Dean Whitestone did not view the incident to be deserving of a spot-kick.
Oxford started the second half with much more enthusiasm, enjoying more possession and managing to break beyond Portsmouth's back line on a few occasions but with nothing to show for their efforts.
As the clock reached the hour mark, Oxford managed to scramble the ball into the back of the net via the head of Tottenham loanee Will Lankshear but the assistant referee raised the flag for offside.
The game then became a bit heated with big challenges flying in from both sets of players as a number of bookings and warnings were handed out to each side.
Oxford pushed in the closing moments of the game, forcing a delightful save out of Blues keeper Nicolas Schmid in the final minute of regulation time to seal the visitors' win.
What were the main talking points?
Portsmouth were able to start their season with an away win, something they struggled to do last season.
The Blues were heavily criticized for their performances on the road last term and John Mousinho's side were able to grind out a result in their opening match here.
The officiating was also a key part of the game, something that Oxford fans, players and staff all seemed frustrated with.
Gary Rowett picked up a booking in the first half for venting his frustrations at some decisions by the officials.
The referees were booed off by the home fans at half-time and full-time.
Which player stood out?
Adrian Segecic impressed in his Portsmouth Championship debut
Lang and debutant Segecic caught the eye for Portsmouth, especially In the first half.
Lang provided energy and flair down the right-wing while Segecic showed plenty of skill and creativity from a central position.
Segecic had a number of dangerous strikes fly narrowly over and was able to produce a quality left-footed effort for the game's only goal.
Who's next?
Both sides are in midweek action before returning to the Championship next weekend.
Oxford United welcome Colchester United to the Kassam Stadium for the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before travelling to Hull City on Sunday.
Portsmouth face League One side Reading at Fratton Park on Tuesday in the cup and then take on Norwich at home on Saturday in an early 12:30 BST kick-off.
What was said?
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho spoke to BBC Radio Solent and provided the latest on Josh Murphy, who was not in the squad after picking up an injury.
"Josh picked up a slight hamstring injury in the last pre-season game," Mousinho said.
"We will maybe see him next week but I'm not sure, but we'll see him against West Brom [on August 23]."
John Mousinho: 'We were great for 60 minutes'
Listen to all the post match reaction on BBC Radio Oxford
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