ACE GYLFI A GENIUS
Super Sigurdsson stuns Split
GYLFI SIGURDSSON scored a stunning goal on his first start to see Everton into the Europa League group stages.
Ronald Koeman had to pay a club record £45m to land the Icelandic player from Swansea but he paid back a huge slice of the fee in Croatia.
Josip Radosevic had given Hajduk Split hope they could overturn Everton’s 2-0 first-leg lead with an explosive 35-yard shot two minutes before the break.
But 12 seconds into the second half, Sigurdsson bettered that effort. He swung his right boot at a bouncing ball 45 yards out and it sailed over keeper Dante Stipica.
The strike left the Croatians needing to win 4-1 to go through and they were denied a second when Jordan Pickford saved Ahmed Said’s 65th-minute penalty after Ashley Williams had brought down Ante Erceg.
But Everton survived the rest of a tough tie without further scare to ensure England has seven clubs in Europe this season.
They will play 19 games in the competition if they go on to win it – but even if they go all the way, they won’t experience many better atmospheres than this. When Radosevic scored, the noise around the arena was deafening.
Everton had a let-off after only five minutes when Pickford brought down Erceg as he raced on to Hamza Barry’s pass.
It looked a penalty but fortunately for Everton the assistant flagged him offside.
Scare
But after that scare, Koeman’s team produced a fairly solid first half until Radosevic’s rocket.
He picked the ball up, took a couple of strides and unleashed a swerving shot that left Pickford rooted.
Most of Hajduk’s best moments cane from Erceg, who fired a firsttime shot wide after Ahmed Said had picked him out lurking on the far side of Everton’s penalty area.
He also sent a header off target from Hysen Memolla’s cross.
Everton had to wait until the 20th minute for their first opening with Wayne Rooney heading wide from Cuco Martina’s cross.
Pickford made two fine saves in the first leg to deny Hajduk a vital away goal and he frustrated them again seven minutes before the break when he dived to his left to keep out a shot from Erceg.
He could do nothing about Radosevic’s effort, but if that was sensational, Sigurdsson’s equaliser was even better.
Stipica was helpless as he raced back in vain to stop the shot from sailing over him.
The Everton players mobbed their new signing for a goal that left Hajduk on the floor.
If Sigurdsson is proving a terrific signing, so, too, is Pickford, whose commanding display was topped off with a fine penalty save that ended the home hopes of a comeback. HAJDUK SPLIT (4-3-3): Stipica; Juranovic, Nizic, Lopez, Memolla; Gentsoglu, Radosevic, Barry; Vlasic, Said, Erceg. Subs: Letica, Rosa, Kozulj, Pesic, Basic, Tudor, Kovacevic. EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Martina, Keane, Williams, Baines; Besic, Schneiderlin; Lookman, Sigurdsson, Calvert-Lewin; Rooney. Subs: Stekelenburg, Jagielka, Mirallas, Lennon, Davies, Holgate, Kenny. Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia).