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Everton 2-2 Apollon Limassol: Europa League – as it happened

This article is more than 6 years old

Everton’s poor start to the season continued as they squandered a lead against 10 men at Goodison Park to remain bottom of their Europa League group

 Updated 
Thu 28 Sep 2017 17.00 EDTFirst published on Thu 28 Sep 2017 14.00 EDT
The Apollon Limassol players are jubilant after Hector Yuste headed in the equaliser.
The Apollon Limassol players are jubilant after Hector Yuste headed in the equaliser. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
The Apollon Limassol players are jubilant after Hector Yuste headed in the equaliser. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters

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A draw means Everton remain bottom of Group E after picking up one point from their first two matches. They should have won after fighting back from a goal down to lead 2-1, especially after their moderate opponents were reduced to 10 men, but they dropped their guard after Valentin Roberge’s red card and were pegged back to 2-2 moments later. Ronald Koeman will be furious - for so many reasons. It was another unconvincing performance from Everton, who are too slow and predictable. Nikola Vlasic’s goal was a bright spot, but the boos at the end told the story of a frustrating night. A setback for Everton, but a great result for Apollon Limassol, who are level with Lyon after the French side’s 1-1 home draw with group frontrunners Atalanta. Thanks for reading and emailing. Night.

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90 min+3: An Apollon defender boots a clearance against his own man. It loops over Vale, but it drops on to the roof of the net! Dearie me, that was almost the most farcical of own goals. Apollon still have to deal with a corner. Vale punches it away, Everton put it back in but they can’t break through.

90 min+1: There will be three added minutes. The home fans have woken up. Apollon are defending from their 18-yard line. Everton have them pinned back.

90 min: Vlasic crosses from the left and the unmarked Calvert-Lewin must score, only to plant his downward header in a central position, allowing Vale to make an unlikely stop! He claws the ball out and for a moment Calvert-Lewin looks certain to ram home the rebound, only for Apollon to hack it clear! What a miss! What a save! What a miss.

GOAL! Everton 2-2 Apollon Limassol (Yuste, 88 min)

The 10 men are level! Pedro curls the free-kick into the middle and Yuste, whose blunder let to Rooney’s equaliser in the first half, sends a glancing header looping over Pickford and into the top left corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end!

Apollon Limassol’s Hector Yuste, right, heads in the equaliser. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
Yuste heads back to the centre circle after celebrating in front of the delirious Apollon Limassol fans. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Everton’s players look dejected after losing a goal at such a late stage. Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images via Reuters
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87 min: Klaassen somehow escapes without a booking after an agricultural swipe at Jander. A free-kick to Apollon, though, over on the left. And...

Valentin Roberge is sent off!

86 min: This is a shocker from the former Sunderland player, a stamp on Calvert-Lewin’s back that infuriates Everton, leads to a heated exchange between the teams and leaves the referee with no option but to show the defender a straight red card. That was disgusting.

82 min: Roberge blocks Kenny’s shot after the right-back was freed by Sigurdsson’s canny reverse pass. “I was rather concerned that JR from Illinois was being a tad disparaging towards his local woodpecker, calling it hairy and so forth, but then I checked on Wikipedia, and, by crikey, ‘hairy’ is not a reference to its hippy-like appearance, but the birdie’s real name,” says Kevin McKee. “Marvellous. Since it’s not a Magpie, given its strip I assume it’s a Notts County or WBA supporter. Now we know why it wasn’t up in its nest watching the Everton game.”

77 min: When an Apollon move tamely breaks down, Rooney looks up and instantly lofts a 50-yard pass to Calvert-Lewin on the left. He drives inside and tries to curl the ball into the far corner, but the ball flies an inch wide. That would have been a great goal, but Apollon are still in contention and they bring on Jander for Sachetti.

Close but no cigar for Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
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73 min: Everton deal with the corner, but Apollon are exerting some pressure. Allan’s piledriver from 25 yards takes a deflection and whooshes wide.

72 min: Vasiliou swings a cross into the Everton area. Pickford comes, but doesn’t get there. he’s grateful to see it headed out to the right, where Sachetti wins a corner.

GOAL! Everton 2-1 Apollon Limassol (Vlasic, 66 min)

This isn’t, though! Sigurdsson cleverly flicks a pass through to Vlasic, who’s been impressive since his introduction, and the young Croatian maintains his composure to slide a low finish inside the left post for his first Everton goal!

Nikola Vlasic slots home Everton’s second. Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images via Reuters
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65 min: Sigurdsson floats a free-kick into the Apollon area from the right, but Williams can’t stretch far enough. This is fantastically dull.

59 min: Sideways, sideways.

Everton’s Morgan Schneiderlin slides in in an attempt to dispossess Allan Rodrigues De Souza of Apollon Limassol Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images
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54 min: Jakolis has a dig from 25 yards, forcing Pickford to dive down to his left to push the ball out. A reminder of Apollon’s threat. Everton respond with a shot from Vlasic that dribbles comfortably wide.

51 min: Everton are trying to play at a higher tempo and they’ve pushed Apollon back at the start of this half, but it’s all bit aimless at the moment.

Half-time: Everton 1-1 Apollon Limassol

Everton are fortunate to be level. They conceded a sloppy early goal, have achieved little of note and were only let back into it when the visitors gifted Wayne Rooney an equaliser.

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