AS if he hadn't grabbed enough of the glory over the past eight days, Stewart Downing couldn't resist ending a week to remember by saving Boro at the Riverside yesterday.

After starring in the 4-0 win over Blackburn last weekend, scoring the winner in Athens in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and drawing praise from England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, Downing decided with 15 minutes left to single-handedly rescue Boro from defeat.

The Teessiders were heading toward a 1-0 reverse after Portsmouth's Diomansy Kamara's excellent first half goal, with every chance the home side created being somehow squandered before Downing struck.

The goal itself wasn't the best. It was largely thanks to an error from former Newcastle United keeper Shaka Hislop who somehow let the ball creep through his legs.

The point kept Boro on the tails of the top six and kept Downing firmly in the spotlight as the man to solve England's left-sided midfield problems.

However, it wasn't all good news for Boro as Gaizka Mendieta was stretchered off after half and hour with an apparent knee injury.

After their exertions against Egaleo in Athens on Thursday night it appeared obvious Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren would make changes and he didn't disappoint.

Back into the starting XI came Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, George Boateng and Downing; Colin Cooper, Doriva and Szilard Nemeth the men making way. A groin injury kept Franck Queudrue out with Bolo Zenden slotting in at left back.

After just four minutes Downing should have put the home side ahead. A neat move involving Mark Viduka, Hasselbaink and Mendieta created room for Hasselbaink to fire a shot across Hislop's goal.

Downing appeared a little slow to see the chance for glory and when the ball reached him at the back post he could only divert it wide of the goal.

The miss took on greater significance seconds later as Portsmouth opened the scoring. There seemed little on when Pompey's £2.2m signing from Italian Side Modena, Kamara, picked up possession on halfway.

The French-born Senagalese forward played a one-two with Patrick Berger and then he was off leaving Ray Parlour trailing in his wake.

As the Boro defence backed off Kamara kept going and when he reached 20 yards from goal he fired in a perfectly judged left-foot shot that beat the fully stretched Mark Schwarzer low to his left.

A classic strike against the run of play, but Boro refused to let the setback stop their attacking game plan.

Hasselbaink, at the centre of all Boro's best work, had two chances either side of the quarter hour to to get his side back in it.

Firstly he linked well with strike-partner Viduka only to see his effort from the edge of the box deflected into the hands of Hislop, and then good interplay with Mendieta created a left-footed shooting chance from 20 yards but the effort was wide of the goal.

Portsmouth were firmly on the back foot and appeared content to hold onto their advantage, rarely committing men forward.

When they did, however, Boro's defence creaked alarmingly. The pace of Kamara and former Newcastle man Lomana LuaLua terrified the Teessiders' rearguard.

LuaLua almost embarrassed Gareth Southgate just after the half hour but his cross was too high for the onrushing Yakubu.

And the bad news for Boro didn't stop at the 1-0 deficit. On 35 minutes Mendieta injured himself when he tried to take the ball off Berger.

When he was still motionless on the turf three minutes later it was apparent the knee injury he had suffered was serious.

Nemeth replaced the Spaniard and Boro kept up the attack. Downing's volley and Chris Riggott's header were both pushed away by Hislop before Boro created three golden chances leading up to half-time.

Hasselbaink fired horribly wide on the volley from ten yards after Downing's right-footed effort was deflected into his path, Viduka had three bites at the cherry on the six yard line before the Pompey defence cleared, and from the resulting corner Nemeth saw his header cleared off the line by Yakubu.

After Dejan Stefanovic headed over the top and LuaLua's low cross evaded everyone early in the second-half Boro continued their siege on the Pompey goal.

Hasselbaink squandered his fifth chance of the game when he headed over Downing's corner in the 50th minute, Parlour fluffed his shot just before the hour mark and then substitute Nemeth got in on the act.

He played a one-two with Viduka before fizzing a 25-yarder past Hislop's right hand post.

It appeared only a matter of time before McClaren's side equalised but they just couldn't find that touch of quality in front of goal.

Viduka was the next to fail - heading weakly straight at Hislop - before Hasselbaink spurned chances seven and eight of the game.

He was set up by his skipper Gareth Southgate in the 65th minute but fired wide, and then he shot on the turn straight at Hislop.

The chances kept coming and so did the misses.

With 15 minutes left and a goal coming from nowhere step forward Mr Downing.

There was still plenty to do when he picked up Nigel Quashie's stray pass while on a rare foray on the right side, but how he did it.

Running directly at substitute full-back Matt Taylor he had the Portsmouth defence tied up in knots as he turned one way and then the other, before firing a left-footed shot that had no right in ending up in Hislop's net.

But it did - straight through Hislop's legs. The keeper however made amends later.

After Hasselbaink had seen yet another effort blocked by Taylor Boro appeared to have the three points in the bag when Viduka directed a header on target from point blank range in the 83rd minute.

Parlour put it wide for Nemeth to cross and the Boro fans were almost celebrating when Viduka connected with his head from six yards.

But Hislop stuck out a left hand and somehow directed the ball onto the post to save his side from defeat.

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Portsmouth 1.

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