 |
|
UEFA Cup: Sorry Everton torn apart by Dinamo [Fri Sep 16th, 2005]
Following their unlucky exit from the UEFA Champions League, Everton saw their UEFA Cup hopes shattered in Bucharest by Dinamo, who thrashed the Toffees 5-1 in the first round first leg to leave David Moyes' side with a mountain to climb on Merseyside in the return.
Moyes had hoped this match would kick-start Everton's season, yet they finished up conceding five goals in European competition for the first time in their history.
However, the English side began well enough against their Romanian opponents and looked more solid with Phil Neville back in the side after suspension.
The first half was even, Joseph Yobo's powerful header from a Simon Davies free kick cancelling out Claudiu Niculescu's own header for Dinamo just two minutes earlier.
But it all went belly-up for Everton after the break. Nicolescu set up Ianis Zicu before Florentin Petre and two from Florin Bratu turned what had been a promising start inti a harrowing finish.
Afterwards, Moyes admitted that he felt lower than at any time in his managerial career.
"I've experienced defeats before, but not any more than tonight. The players showed fantastic spirit in the first half, but it looked as if we got lost and they got much better.
"In the first half we did a good job and we could have been in front, we controlled the game but in the second half it was too easy for them to score.
"I feel for the fans and it's my responsibility to raise morale in the camp - it's my team out there.
"We win together and we lose together and tonight was a night when we've all lost together - there's no criticism of any players publicly, I wouldn't do that.
It's my responsibility to manage and I take full responsibility for all the results, as I do tonight.
"I'll look to make some changes and see if I can find a winning formula, because at the moment we've not got one.
"Maybe we have to look at the standard of our fitness because we seem to run out of legs.
"We can't kid ourselves - I felt we played well in the opening part of the season without winning but last Saturday the performance and the result were not good (Everton lost 1-0 at home to Portsmouth).
"After tonight's performance you have to say we have made a terrible start to the season - and I have to do something about it."
Before the game Moyes had warned his team not to waste their efforts of last season in qualifying for Europe.
But after the second-half capitulation, Everton captain David Weir could only apologise to the fans.
"I am not sure that we need to speak about what went wrong now but it's not acceptable and we're very disappointed," Weir said.
"We fell apart and we're really sorry for the fans. We'll do our best to turn the tie around."
News headlines from around the world.