Everton picked up a hard-earned 2-1 win over Kenyan side Gor Mahia in their opening pre-season friendly at the National Stadium in Tanzania.
The Toffees took the lead in a flat first half through returning striker Wayne Rooney, who picked out the top corner from around 30 yards out.
Jacques Tuyisenge levelled up four minutes later, but the visitors managed to snatch the victory late on when Kieran Dowell belted home from the edge of the box.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the pre-season friendly meeting between Gor Mahia and Everton at the National Stadium. The Toffees' summer campaign begins in the East African country of Tanzania, where they will take on the record 15-time Kenyan champions in front of a packed crowd at the 60,000-seater stadium in Dar-es-Salaam.
This is the first chance for boss Ronald Koeman to run the rule over some of his new recruits - and there are many of them - ahead of a campaign that could see the Merseyside outfit challenge for a place in the top four of the Premier League. Despite the loss of top scorer Romelu Lukaku, the excitement levels are steadily building around Goodison Park, with supporters expecting even more new signings before the August 31 deadline.
In terms of the opposition lining up against Everton today, they are managed by Englishman Dylan Kerr and are currently leading the way in the Kenyan top flight. The Toffees are strong favourites to pick up a comfortable win this afternoon, even if they are out of their comfort zones a little in East Africa, not to mention that this is the first time many of these players have played in the same side.
EVERTON TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Stekelenburg, Kenny, Williams, Jagielka, Connolly, Schneiderlin, Lennon, Lookman, McCarthy, Klaassen, Rooney
SUBS: Hewelt, Baines, Keane, Davies, Mirallas, Pennington, Calvert-Lewin, Gana, Barry, Besic, Dowell
The big team news is that Wayne Rooney starts for Everton for the first time in 13 years, having rejoined his boyhood club from Manchester United last week. The England international was given the chance to depart Old Trafford as a free agent and insisted that there was only once place he wanted to go, smoothing the way for Lukaku to head in the opposite direction in a deal that could potentially be worth up to £100m.
There is also a chance for Everton fans to see Davy Klaassen up close for the first time, with the Netherlands international leaving Ajax to try his luck in the Premier League. A talented midfield player, Klaassen will begin this match alongside the returning Aaron Lennon and Ademola Lookman, who enjoyed an impressive maiden campaign at Goodison Park last time out.
Slightly further back, James McCarthy and Morgan Schneiderlin are tasked with sitting in front of the back four, while Phil Jagielka - linked with a move away earlier in the campaign - links up with Wales international Ashley Williams in the heart of the back four. Either side of the experienced central-defensive duo are academy graduates Jonjo Kenny and Callum Connolly, given the chance to stake a claim for regular football in 2017-18.
There is no place for big-money signing Jordan Pickford, as he is given time to recover from his exertions with the England Under-21s squad in Poland earlier this summer, so Maarten Stekelenburg will take on goalkeeping duties for the time being. It is a strong Everton lineup, albeit with two inexperienced full-backs, and one that should pick up a fairly straightforward victory in this opening pre-season fixture.
We can expect to see many, if not all, the outfield subs used at some point this afternoon. Among them is Michael Keane, another who joined in a potential club-record-equalling transfer from Burnley, and he is almost certain to take up one of those central-defensive berths come the opening game of the campaign. Plenty of football to come between now and then, meaning a chance for the fringe players to force their way into Koeman's thinking.
Wayne Rooney is handed a first start for Everton on his return to the club, 13 years after departing for a successful spell with Manchester United. Plenty of eyes on him this afternoon, of course, but he is not the star pick of the Toffees' transfer dealings by a long stretch, as they also have the likes of Davy Klaassen and Michael Keane in their ranks today.
Everton touched down in Tanzania on Wednesday for this friendly encounter, being greeted by a Maasai tribe in traditional fashion. This marks the start of the Toffees' pre-season preparations, taking them from Africa and back to Europe next week for games against Twente and Genk, before a home meeting against Sevilla a week before the campaign begins. It is all in preparation for the Premier League opener against Stoke City at Goodison Park on August 12.
Following that winnable opener against the Potters, Koeman's men take on Manchester City and Chelsea in two tough trips. It is a difficult start on the whole, in fact, as they also face Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in September - four of last season's top six to come in their first six games. Patience will be the key word around the blue half of Merseyside, no doubt, with momentum likely to be tough to come by.
It remains to be see exactly what Everton's target for the season will be in the Premier League, but the general consensus is that they can build on last term's seventh-placed finish. It was a decent campaign for Koeman on the whole in his first year at the helm, albeit finishing in a position that many predicted they would 12 months ago. It looked at one stage like they might overhaul one of Man United or Arsenal, but those two sides just about recovered to finish in fifth and sixth respectively.
Finishing seventh was not so bad when taking into account that they managed to book themselves a spot in the Europa League, which will surely be among Koeman's priorities. For too long now the Toffees have sacrificed cup competitions - or simply not been good enough, depending on who you ask - so ending that hoodoo will be the task for the Dutchman. That explains why he is strengthening his squad, bringing in a raft of new recruits in what is turning out to be a very busy summer.
A busier summer than any other Premier League side, in fact, bringing in six new players and offloading the same number. The biggest departure is Lukaku, who yet again enjoyed a prolific campaign last time out and leaves a huge hole to fill up top. It will likely be a two-man job, with Rooney tipped to link up with either Sandro Ramirez or another newbie in attack - possibly one of Christian Benteke or Olivier Giroud, both of whom have been linked.
You get the impression that Koeman is certainly not done just yet, even after the captures of Pickford (£30m), Klaassen (£24m), Henry Onyekuru (£7m), Sandro (£5), Keane (£30) and Rooney (free). A lot has been made of each signing, one of which - Onyekuru - had more than 40 clubs chasing him earlier this year. Is it enough to crack the top-four elite, though? It will be tough, make no mistake about it, but one or two more high-quality additions and they could well challenge for a Champions League spot.
While all focus has been on the incoming arrivals, as well as Lukaku's recent departure, things appear to have gone quiet regarding the future of Ross Barkley. The England international was issued an ultimatum by Koeman at the end of last season, told to make a decision on his future or else he would be put up for transfer. Well the last we heard Barkley has no intention of committing, but it could now be a case of remaining patient and waiting for a bid.
Barkley is absent from the squad today, with the official line from Everton suggesting that it is injury related - make of that what you will. The academy graduate, arguably the club's most talented since Rooney burst through all those years ago, has made 179 appearances over the past 12 years but could now be on his way in the coming days or weeks. The man most likely to replace him is Swansea City playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has been left out of the Swans' tour squad for next week.
Either way, you would expect the Toffees to overcome Mahia this afternoon. As mentioned a little earlier, the Kenyan club are managed by Dylan Kerr, who boasts 18 different clubs on his CV from a well-travelled playing career in British football. The Earthquake have won their domestic top flight a record number of times and are the only team from Kenya to win an African continental title - the Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.
Mahia only managed a second-placed finish in the Kenyan top flight last term, though, missing out to Tusker by seven points - three of which were docked for hooliganism in their away trip to the eventual champions. They also missed out on a place in the CAF Confederations Cup, with the second spot awarded to the team that wins the domestic cup competition. That was also won by Tusker, so runners-up Ulinzi Stars were given the honour.
Kerr's charges are top of the table after 15 games of the current campaign, however, level on points with defending champions Tusker but ahead on goal difference. That is despite a current four-game winless run, which has seen them draw three and lose one of those matches. Their early-season momentum has badly faded and they must now get back on track when they take on Muhoroni Youth on Saturday.
The Kenyan outfit are no strangers to English opposition, having also taken on an experimental Hull City side earlier this year - a game that they lost. It remains to be seen exactly what sort of test they will provide Everton with over the next couple of hours, but you would expect a team boasting the Toffees' pedigree to rack up a few goals ahead of their return to Europe for friendlies against Twente and Genk next week.
With kickoff at the National Stadium in Tanzania now around 15 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from the Everton camp.
Ronald Koeman: "It is still too soon to talk about top four; what we'd like to do is continue what we did last season. Everyone is trying to get the best players. The big six in the Premier League will spend money as well but it is a good signal to everybody that we are on board and will try to give them that competition that we didn't last season. Everybody knows you cannot do that in one season. The first season (the aim) was to try to play good football and get good results but now we need to make the next step to get the type of players in who can use that pressure and the qualities we need to improve."
Wayne Rooney: "My return has been on the cards. I was here [at Everton] as a young boy, aged nine, and to be back is brilliant. There's a lot of new faces but it's an exciting time for myself and certainly an exciting time for the club. The club has shown ambition. The players are in place and, with the younger lads coming through, we're moving in the right direction. The important thing now is to be successful. It's a great move for me and hopefully I can bring my qualities to the team."
Koeman claims that it is still too soon to even contemplate finishing in the top four, but that has to be the target for the Dutchman after a summer of big spending. Rooney may not be of the quality of old but he can surely still offer something, while the likes of Sandro, Klaassen, Keane and Pickford will also likely force their way into the starting lineup. Exciting times for the Goodison Park faithful!
As well as providing some attacking quality, Rooney is also known around the globe and will only boost Everton's profile. A cynical way of looking at this "fairytale return", maybe, but that surely would have crossed the minds of those high up at Goodison Park when giving the green light to hand over an astronomical sum of wages. His impact has already been felt in Tanzania, where many were waiting to greet one of English football's most well-known faces.
There had been some concerns over the state of the playing surface at the National Stadium, incidentally, forcing officials to draft in some experts from England to sort things out. It is now in a good enough condition to welcome Everton's star names for what is the first of their four pre-season outings. Koeman will be keen to get his players up to speed as soon as possible, knowing that a fast start next term - albeit with tricky tests up first - is important.
A reminder that Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen both start for Everton this afternoon in what is expected to be a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Aaron Lennon is also involved from the off after his recent battle with mental health issues away from the field. Plenty of little subplots to keep an eye on over the next couple of hours, as Everton begin their summer preparations in the 28 degree heat in Dar-es-Salaam.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play at the National Stadium. The Toffees are sporting their new away kit for the first time this afternoon, looking to use the excitement building around the blue half of Merseyside to shift as many as possible. This ground can fit in 60,000 and it looks to be pretty full with around four minutes to go until kickoff. Wayne Rooney the man, inevitably, at the centre of it all.
Phil Jagielka lines up alongside Ashley Williams in the heart of Everton's defence this afternoon, but he is the man most likely to make way for big-money signing Michael Keane come the August 12 opener against Stoke City. He is not the only one battling to keep hold of a spot in the side, with the Toffees unlikely to stop recruiting new players before the window closes - Christian Benteke and/or Olivier Giroud could well be next.
KICKOFF! We are up and running at the National Stadium in Tanzania. Plenty of excited fans in attendance in the 60,000-capacity ground, looking to see some of the best players the Premier League has to offer up close.
The Toffees just feeling their way into the match, acclimatising to the humid conditions in these early stages. Not quite sure whether Koeman plans to heavily rotate his side at the break or instead wait until the hour mark before doing so.
Young defender Jonjoe Kenny gets across well to cut out the danger down the Mahia left, earning his side a goal kick in the process. Everton now knocking the ball around in midfield, slowly attempting to work it into the final third.
A cross comes into the box from the right but Everton stand their ground once again and clear. The Kenyan club looking the livelier early on but have been unable to create any sort of openings at the National Stadium.
Everton have been a tad sloppy in the opening 10 minutes of the match, which is entirely understandable given this is their first outing of the summer. Barely seen Rooney yet, with the Toffees unable to work the ball into advanced areas of the field.
The visitors enjoy their best passing move of the match so far, with Rooney's first real touch of the ball turning into a good lay-off. It is worked to Kenny out wide but he delays the cross and the attack eventually fades out.
Koeman's men have grown into the match and have bossed possession for the past five minutes or so. Some nice passes but they have so far been unable to create any openings, with their best bet likely coming from an attack down the flanks.
Mahia managing to keep things fairly tight in the opening 15 minutes of the match, not giving their opponents a great deal of room to manoeuvre in. They are 15-time champions of their division, remember, so certainly no pushovers.
A couple of shots from distance, neither of which trouble Stekelenburg in the Everton goal. It is the Earthquake who are looking the brighter all of a sudden, really pegging their opponents back into their own final third of the field.
Still awaiting the first real opening of the match in Tanzania, where we remain locked at 0-0 with nearly a quarter of the match played. A reminder that Rooney and Klaassen both in the starting lineup for the Toffees this afternoon.
Been a typical pre-season friendly for large parts, with the Toffees seeing more of the ball but doing little with it. Fitness is the main concern for Koeman at this stage, rather than the result, but he will be hoping to pick up victory in this opener.
Koeman has a big squad available to him this afternoon so you would expect him to make wholesale changes at some point. All focus was on Rooney pre-kickoff but he has only had a handful of touches of the ball in a quiet contest.
We are now more than a third of the way through the game and neither keeper has had a serious stop to make. Been fairly balanced over the past couple of minutes, but Everton are trying their best to find some rhythm.
GOAL! GOR MAHIA 0-1 EVERTON (WAYNE ROONEY)
Back in Everton colours and back among the goals! Wayne Rooney finds the net from all of 30 yards out with a strike that deceived the keeper a little. The Toffees not really been on top of their game so far, but it is they who have the lead.
GOAL! GOR MAHIA 1-1 EVERTON (JACQUES TUYISENGE)
Moments after falling behind, the Gor Mahia level things up through a Jacques Tuyisenge header at the front post. The forward got his head to a corner to cancel out the long-range Rooney strike, livening up what had previously been a flat contest.
Having seen a replay of that Rooney goal, it has to go down as a great strike. Initially appeared as though the goalkeeper had been caught out by the flight of the ball, but it was just perfectly placed into the top corner of the net. Dream return for him!
Half time now just a few moments away at the National Stadium. The last 10 or 15 minutes have been much more open, following what had been a flat start to this friendly affair. Rooney's belter from 32 yards was cancelled out by Tuyisenge to set up what should be an entertaining second half.
HALF TIME: GOR MAHIA 1-1 EVERTON
The first half comes to an end in a rather comical fashion, with a few long-range shots being fired in from the Mahia players. Goalscorer Tuyisenge did at least manage to test Stekelenburg, who kept the strike out to ensure that the scoreline remains at 1-1 heading into the interval.
The opening half an hour of the contest was low on quality, with neither side able to find any real rhythm to their game at the 60,000 capacity stadium in Dar-es-Salaam. Wayne Rooney was barely able to get a touch of the ball in the final third during the slow start to the contest, but that all changed 35 minutes in when blasting home from around 32 yards out.
The England international's strike caught out the opposition keeper, flying over his reach and into the top corner of the net. Gor Mahia were level just moments later through the simplest of goals, however, as Jacques Tuyisenge swept in at the front post to nod past Maarten Stekelenburg in the Everton goal. Stekelenburg was called into action late in the first half to keep out goalscorer Tuyisenge, though that proved to be a rare save at either end in a relatively flat opening 45 minutes.
Word is that both teams will completely change their lineups for the second half, meaning that Rooney will not get the chance to add to that top-quality strike 35 minutes in. Gor Mahia have more than matched their opponents so far and are level at 1-1 at the break, so it is all to play for as we await the sides for the second half in Tanzania.
RESTART! We are back under way at the National Stadium where, as anticipated, there is news of mass changes to bring you. Among the 11 newcomers on at the break for Everton is big-money signing Michael Keane.
Tom Davies, one of those introduced at the interval, wants a penalty early in the half but sees his appeal turned down. A more energetic feel to the match already thanks to the fresh legs, with Everton looking to restore their advantage.
SHOT! A long-range attempt from Davies but, unlike Rooney in the first half, this effort ends over the bar. The Toffees looking far brighter in the second half compared to the opening stages of the first, when they failed to really get a grip on the match.
The Earthquake make another couple of changes, including in goal. An hour of the match nearly gone and there is no real sign of the scoreline changing anytime soon, with Everton failing to build on a bright start to the half.
We have a very scrappy game on our hands at the moment, which can so often be the case when changes are made en masse. Almost a chance for Mirallas but the offside flag was raised on the far side to halt him in his tracks.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Dominic Calvert-Lewin has the ball in the back of the net for the visitors after getting on the end of a knockdown, but he was deemed to be offside. Replays show that it was perhaps a little harsh.
SAVE! Calvert-Lewin is looking lively all of a sudden, seeing his latest shot kept out down low, and Idrissa Gueye was unable to tuck away the rebound. The Toffees slowly starting to build some momentum at long last.
SAVE! Gueye is denied by back-up keeper Peter Odhiambo, before Calvert-Lewin failed to find the target with his shot. Everton dominating the chances in this second half but, with less than a quarter of the game to play, find themselves all square.
There is certainly a sense that Everton are going to make this pressure tell, having created some decent openings in the second half. A short stoppage in play now, however, as Calvert-Lewin landed awkwardly on his ankle and requires some treatment.
We are now into the final 10 minutes at the National Stadium in Tanzania and we remain locked at 1-1. The second half has been far livelier than the first, but we are heading towards a stalemate in Everton's first friendly of the summer.
GOAL! GOR MAHIA 1-2 EVERTON (KIERAN DOWELL)
Moments after Gareth Barry struck the bar with a free kick, Dowell went one better by belting home what looks like being a winner for Everton. Davies picked out his fellow academy graduate and, after a little turn, the 19-year-old smashed the ball past Peter Odhiambo.
CHANCES! Dowell with a good chance to double his tally, but his shot is well saved, while Keane was unable to keep his header down at the back post. Everton more likely to find a fourth goal of the match than their opponents.
We are now into added time at the National Stadium. Gor Mahia are pressing for a leveller but they are unable to real create anything, meaning that the Toffees are on the brink of a well-earned win in their pre-season opener.
The referee has decided to add one six minutes of time at the end of the match, so there is still a chance for Gor Mahia to snatch a draw. Everton currently knocking the ball around in midfield, though, as they aim to see through the remaining minutes in a stress-free manner.
FULL TIME: GOR MAHIA 1-2 EVERTON
The full-time whistle is blown at the National Stadium, meaning a winning start to pre-season for Everton. The Toffees were made to work hard for the victory, getting themselves over the line through a Kieran Dowell strike eight minutes from time, having earlier seen Wayne Rooney's superb opener cancelled out.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Tanzania. An on-the-whistle report can be found be clicking here, while a recap of Arsenal's earlier victory over Sydney FC can be viewed here. Thanks for joining!
