Arsenal triumph in historic cup final

Arsenal's joy as they win the cup for the second year running

Arsenal have won the FA Cup as Cardiff's Millennium Stadium made history by staging the final undercover for the first time.

Frenchman Robert Pires's 38th-minute goal gave the Gunners victory after the Football Association decided to close the roof on the stadium because of bad weather.

The FA said that was the best way to protect the pitch after a night of heavy rain and with more falling before and after kick-off.

The decision was made amid reports of touts offering tickets for about £1,000, but with police hoping for a peaceful game.

Fans started gathering outside the stadium from 0700 BST in preparation for the 1500 kick-off.

Up to 100,000 Southampton and Arsenal fans were expected in south Wales for the match, which was held at the stadium for the third year in a row.

Beaten Southampton players thank the fans for their support

Police also warned that a dedicated team were tracking down ticket touts.

But one Southampton fan in the city centre before the game said there seemed to be few tickets available on the black market.

"Tickets seem to be a bit scarce on the ground," said the fan.

"I'm in the market for a ticket and no-one has offered me any yet.

"People keep asking me if I've got a spare ticket, which sounds like a bad sign. I don't know where all the tickets have gone but they can't have gone to Southampton."

He also believed some supporters might have been put off the black market by reports that one Southampton fan had been banned for life by the club for selling a ticket for an inflated price.

Another Southampton fan from Norway travelled to Cardiff for the game even though he did not have a ticket.

Magnus Fiskviak, 27, a social worker from Trondheim, began supporting the Saints in 1990 when he saw them beat Liverpool 4-1 in a televised game.

A cup of cheer for Arsenal fans before the game kicked off

He saw only his first Southampton match in person last Christmas when they beat Birmingham 2-0, but was determined to be in Cardiff for the FA Cup.

"I was hoping to get a ticket, but I had to be here," Magnus told BBC Wales News Online.

Meanwhile, tourist operators hoped the event would help attract more visitors to Wales.

Traffic arrangements were overseen by Superintendent Kevin Tumelty of South Wales Police.

"We have had FA Cup finals here before and other major events in the last couple of years," he said.

"The FA Cup final has traditionally always been peaceful," said Supt Tumelty.

Rain on the lens as the Millennium Stadium closes to the elements

"It has never been associated with crowd problems at Wembley and certainly not Cardiff.

"Southampton and Arsenal both have good reputations and there is no history of violence between the two."

The FA Cup focussed the eyes of the world on Cardiff, with an estimated 600 million viewers in 70 countries tuning in.

A Wales Tourist Board spokeswoman said its economic impact would be felt widely.

"The FA Cup final is one of the biggest sporting events in the world," she said.

"The direct economic impact for Cardiff and south Wales is significant.

"It affects not only hotels, bars, pubs and restaurants, but also the transport industry, retail industry and the local economy as a whole."

This final was the 122nd. The final will probably be held in Cardiff until 2005 while Wembley Stadium is being rebuilt.