Reports of classic Everton games from the ECHO's Royal Blue vault
THE European adventure is over . . . for now.
But Everton have whetted their appetite for the kind of nights which had Goodison Park rocking to its very foundations last night.
And if the Blues are back next season – be it Champions League, UEFA Cup or even the booby prize of the Intertoto Cup – they will be better equipped to make an even bolder impact on the European stage, because Everton were utterly magnificent last night.
They dominated Italy’s fourth best team for 120 minutes. They outplayed Fiorentina, they outpassed them, outfought them and outran them.
Only goalkeeper Sebastian Frey stood between his team and a rout.
But football, like life, can be unfair.
And after a 2-0 triumph levelled the aggregate scores, but paid scant service to the level of dominance exercised by Everton, a failure in the lottery of a penalty shoot-out consigned the Blues to an exit they did not deserve.
What is it with Everton Football Club and penalty shoot-outs?
Goodison Park was actually the stage for Europe’s first ever shoot-out, way back in 1970.
Everton were successful that night – knocking out Borussia Moenchengladbach.
But since then it has been a litany of shoot-out failure.
David Moyes has changed plenty since he arrived at Goodison Park six years ago last night.
But the curse of the penalty shoot-out is something even he can’t affect.
He actually won one at Newcastle during his first full season, but that was the exception rather than the rule.
Glasgow Rangers out in Dubai, Charlton in the Full members Cup, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bristol Rovers in the League Cup. . . countless pre-season friendlies – and now Fiorentina.
After missing three of their four penalty kicks awarded in conventional play in this season’s competition, perhaps the crowd knew what was coming.
Thomas Gravesen achieved the unusual feat of scoring with only his second touch of the ball, after he was introduced in the 119th minute for just that purpose.
But Yakubu could only chip against a post and when Sebastian Frey spectacularly saved Phil Jagielka’s effort Santana only needed to keep his own nerve from 12 yards . . . which he did.
But Everton can hold their heads up high.
Warmly applauded off the pitch at the end, their display suggested this team has plenty of unfinished business to attend to before the 2007/08 race is run.
And despite bowing out of a cup competition in mid-March, Everton’s season is still very much alive.
The Blues started with all the drive, all the purpose and all the conviction which had been so sorely lacking in Italy.
Of course they also had Mikel Arteta and Andrew Johnson.
On the bench in Florence, both were outstanding as Everton ran Fiorentina ragged with a magnificent display of controlled passion.
The early goal Goodison had craved duly arrived after 15 minutes.
Steven Pienaar’s cross was exceptional, the finish fortunate as the ball squirted up off goalkeeper Frey, hit Johnson in the chest and bounced into the Park End goal.
It was the only slice of luck Everton would get all night.
They piled forward with fire and resolution . . and the chances stacked up.
Arteta sliced wide from just 12 yards, although at a prohibitive angle, then saw a free-kick beaten out unconvincingly by Frey.
In the 19th minute the crowd screamed for a penalty as Johnson tumbled, but even as the referee was in the act of waving away appeals Osman followd up to rap a rising drive which was parried.
Jagielka headed over from Arteta’s free-kick, Johnson did likewise, then Yakubu twisted and turned in much the same way he opened up Brann Bergen, except this time Frey saved superbly.
Still Everton continued to carve out opportunities – and this against a side notoriously tight in defence.
Johnson came off his marker to head over from a corner, and then looked to have finally escaped the shackles of the Italian defence only for Dainelli to deny him with a saving sliding tackle.
Fiorentina were buckling, if not cracking, and on the stroke of half-time Goodison erupted when Yakubu looked like he had levelled the aggregate scores from close range.
The noise quickly abated when a linesman’s flag ruled an offside decision against Arteta, who had crossed, but seconds later when Mr Braamhaar’s whistle sounded again for half-time the crowd rose again to deliver the kind of ovation only usually reserved for full-time victories.
It was thoroughly deserved.
The only question which remained was could Everton reproduce the same vigour, drive and purpose in the second 45 minutes.
The answer arrived quickly when Yobo’s close-range effort was hacked frantically off the line.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first – but it clearly needed something very special to break the Italians’ resistance.
Mikel Arteta provided it – crashing home a laser-guided shot from 25 yards.
