English Premiership club Everton beat two-time reigning Italian champions Juventus 6-5 on penalties on Wednesday after playing to a 1-1 draw in the International Champions Cup friendly tournament.
The match at AT&T Park, home of baseball’s World Series champions the San Francisco Giants, drew a crowd of 22,208, who saw Everton seal the victory when their US goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped defender Federico Peluso’s penalty.
It was the first match in the US among the eight teams playing in the tournament, which also include Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter, Real Madrid, Valencia and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Belgian forward Kevin Mirallas delivered Everton’s only goal in the 61st minute, eluding Peluso and firing home.
Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah grabbed the equalizer in the 80th, sliding a left-footed shot past Howard.
Everton are to face either Real Madrid or the Galaxy tomorrow at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in the tournament’s winner’s bracket.
Real and the Galaxy were scheduled to play yesterday in Phoenix, while Chelsea were to face Inter in Indianapolis.
The title match is scheduled to be in Miami on Wednesday next week.
“It’s always nice to play for something,” Everton captain Paul Jagielka said before the contest. “Sometimes it can be more of a fitness session, but when there is something to play for ... you can get those positive vibes going.”
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