Source: Telegraph
Benfica 5 Everton 0: match report
Out of many, one. David Moyes had warned his players, and Everton's 7,000-strong travelling support, to beware the dangers of Benfica's Latin American contingent: the magic of Pablo Aimar, the cunning a Javier Saviola, the power of Ramires, the man Robinho covets more than any other for the bottomless pockets of Manchester City. [LNB]It was the least heralded of the lot, though, who lived up the billing. [LNB]Angel Di Maria, the Argentine left winger, simply tore Everton to shreds. He is hardly a household name, he has just three international caps and cannot be sure of many more, given the circus Diego Maradona has brought to one of world football's greatest names. [LNB]Yet here, he cast all else at Lisbon's Stadium of Light into shadow. It was an electrifying display, and one for the world to note. [LNB]From the off, he terrorised Everton's makeshift defence injuries and ineligibility meant Everton drafted in Dan Gosling at right back and hand Seamus Coleman a debut on the opposite flank, with Tony Hibbert in central defence with his pace and guile. [LNB]Within 40 seconds his trickery had bought a free kick on the edge of the box. Luisão, the hosts' captain, had already headed inches wide by the time Di Maria's whipped cross found Saviola unmarked at the far post to bounce a volley over Tim Howard and hand the hosts the lead. [LNB]The goal essentially put an end to Everton's hopes of escaping from the deafening Estadio da Luz with any reward. [LNB]They had started nervously, their every touch booed by Benfica's ardent support, the stream of noise endless from the moment Vitoria, Benfica's eagle, was released around the ground before kick-off for her traditional, ceremonial fly-past. [LNB]But slowly Everton started to assert themselves, testing the unpredictable Julio Cesar with a succession of high balls. [LNB]Moyes's side at least made it to the break with their dignity intact but their luck was not to hold. Within two minutes of the restart, Aimar robbed the dawdling Marouane Fellaini on the edge of the box, fed Saviola and the Argentine slid the ball across to Oscar Cardozo the Paraguayan in Benfica's South American menagerie to tap home. [LNB]Barely 30 seconds later, Cardozo had a second, heading in after Di Maria effortlessly beat Gosling for pace and picked up Aimar's beautifully weighted through ball and teased a cross into his path. [LNB]After Luisão nodded Aimar's corner over Gosling, stationed on the right-hand post, to make it three goals in five minutes and four in total, Benfica at least had the decency to turn off the turbo. [LNB]Europe's most fearsome attack were not finished, though. Di Maria cracked one shot off the bar and Cardozo fired straight at Howard as the hosts unveiled their full array of tricks and feints before Saviola grabbed the fifth. [LNB]Everton's only consolation their likely qualification apart is that barely half their support were there to see the confirmation of their heaviest ever European defeat. [LNB]Most had decamped to Lisbon's bars, in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer, to plead for mercy. [LNB]
