Wayne Rooney scored in his first game back with Everton on Thursday, and was given a hug by a spectator who ran onto the field.
Rooney scored the opener for his boyhood club in Everton’s 2-1 win over Kenya-based Gor Mahia in a pre-season friendly in Tanzania.
After 13 years with Manchester United, it was an ideal way to mark his return as Rooney curled in a shot from about 27m in the 35th minute.
Photo: EPA
Gor Mahia equalized three minutes later, but Kieran Dowell scored the winner for Everton with nine minutes to go — another long-range strike.
Early in the game, Rooney was hugged by a man wearing a Manchester United shirt who evaded security officials long enough to reach the England striker.
Rooney then gave the local supporters and Everton fans at home plenty to cheer about when he controlled a pass from Ademola Lookman with his back to the goal, turned and sent a right-foot shot sailing into the top-left corner.
“I am happy to score in my first match,” Rooney said.
Everton is the first Premier League team to visit Tanzania and the brief tour was an indication of the superstar status Rooney still holds around the world.
Fans chanting his name gathered outside the Everton hotel when the team arrived earlier in the week and crowds flocked wherever he went in the buildup to the game.
Rooney’s return to Everton on a two-year deal was announced last weekend, taking the 31-year-old forward back to the club he grew up watching and supporting, and which he says he still supported throughout his time at Manchester United.
Rooney left Everton in 2004 as a teenager and went on to become Manchester United’s record all-time goal-scorer.
After Rooney’s first game back, Everton manager Ronald Koeman said: “He is still one of the best in his position.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS