lukaku leads everton to win at young boys published: thursday 19 february 2015, 21.10cet bsc young boys 1-4 everton fc everton have one foot in the last 16 after coming from behind to record a fine win that came with the help of a romelu lukaku hat-trick.
• romelu lukaku registers hat-trick as everton record handsome first-leg win • guillaume hoarau gives young boys lead before two everton goals in five minutes • lukaku adds further efforts either side of half-time • john stones sent off for bringing down hoarau, who misses resulting penalty • the second leg is next thursday in germany, with the last 16 draw the following day
romelu lukaku claimed a hat-trick as everton fc won 4-1 at bsc young boys to ease themselves to within touching distance of the uefa europa league round of 16.
while everton started with purpose, young boys quickly provided the end product. after getting a return ball from raphaël nuzzolo, guillaume hoarau very deliberately picked — and brilliantly found — his spot with a sublime curler from outside the box.
the visitors responded by turning the scoreline around in the space of five first-half minutes. yvon mvogo could only help lukaku's well-directed header into the bottom corner before steven naismith's cross flashed between the young boys' goalkeeper's legs, and the lunging seamus coleman turned the ball over the line.
tim howard pawed away a breathtaking hoarau volley before young boys soon found themselves further behind. bryan oviedo's neat back-heel released gareth barry, and his low cross was turned in at the back post by lukaku.
still, young boys swept forward. howard dived full-length to keep out milan gajić's drive from distance, and, but for james mccarthy clearing off the line, sekou sanogo junior would have brought the valiant hosts to within one at the break.
they also pushed gamely to reduce the deficit after it, but ross barkley sent lukaku charging goalwards, and the belgium international lifted the ball delicately over the advancing mvogo to clinch his hat-trick and ease everton well clear.
after being sent to ground by john stones, who was then sent off, hoarau fired the resulting spot kick over the bar to leave this as the swiss side's heaviest ever uefa cup/uefa europa league home defeat.
