Source: Telegraph
Everton 0 Benfica 2: match report
Everton's dreams of European glory may not quite be up in smoke, but as their supporters streamed from Goodison Park to enjoy the dying embers of Bonfire Night, they will have known the chances are this season's adventure will end with a whimper, rather than a bang. [LNB]David Moyes's side lack nothing in application or effort, but with a crippling injury list weakening already strained resources, they do not have the quality to cope with Europe's aristocrats. [LNB] Related ArticlesEuropa League tablesEuropa League fixturesRoma 2 Fulham 1Hamburg 0 Celtic 0Sport on televisionThey put Benfica off their stride for as long as they could here, but once Javier Saviola fired the Portuguese into the lead, the outcome was assured. Oscar Cardozo's goal merely served to add the exclamation point. [LNB]The hosts, understandably, started like a side with a 5-0 humbling to avenge. Moyes had spoken after watching a scratch team torn apart at the Stadium of Light that he would relish the chance to face Benfica with a full-strength line-up. Everton's injury list still will not permit that, but the Scot could at least offer a more realistic impression of his resources. [LNB]Marouane Fellaini, derided for much of a difficult second season and no more so than after the horrors of Lisbon, stung Julio Cesar's palms early and Everton tested him often. Yakubu and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, growing gradually more fleet of foot and menacing of thought with every appearance in a blue shirt, both let fly from long-range, to no avail. [LNB]A better source of opportunity for Everton, of course, was always likely to be the aerial ball which served previous incarnations of Moyes's side so well. [LNB]Benfica, though, had prepared for such an eventuality, naming three central defenders across their back four, and only once, when Bilyaletdinov's cross found Tim Cahill six yards out, did their focus waver. The Australian's header landed softly in the goalkeeper's arms. [LNB]But Benfica's near-total domination of Everton two weeks ago was no fluke. They boast Europe's most fearsome attack and, even without their creator-in-chief, Pablo Aimar, they have an arsenal that would trouble any team in any competition. [LNB]It is to Everton's credit that they were so stymied for so long. It took 35 minutes for Fabio Coentrao, one of three Chelsea targets earning a taste of football on English soil, to pick out Oscar Cardozo with a teasing cross, only for the Paraguayan's header to rebound off the foot of the post. Howard, rooted to the spot as the ball bounced clear, did well to parry Javier Saviola's effort from the rebound. [LNB]The visitors, though, were growing in confidence. Javi Garcia ballooned over after good work from Saviola after the break, and Coentrao shot wide. Angel Di Maria, so impressive on terra firma, wasted a glorious opening by firing over with just Howard to beat, but almost atoned with a fierce angled drive from 25 yards which the American seemed to save by accident, rather than design. [LNB]The signs were there. Di Maria broke again, exchanging passes with his countryman Saviola, the tackles noticeable by their absence. Only on the edge of the box did a challenge arrive, only for the ball to fall to the busy little striker, who coolly deceived Howard with a left-footed finish. [LNB]There was to be no way back, Cardozo making the win safe with a brilliantly-executed half volley past Howard after a mesmerising move between Saviola and Aimar, a second-half substitute. [LNB]Sylvain Distin missed two chances inside a minute, a shot saved and a header wide, but by then, a hush had descended on Goodison, the only sound Benfica's fans taunting singing of You'll Never Walk Alone. They are more likely to hear that again in the Europa League than Everton.[LNB]
