EVERTON 2-0 FIORENTINA

For Evertonians, this night will be remembered as long as there is breath in the body. But, sadly, that memory will be of an evening of glorious failure.

The Blues have been knocked out of the Uefa Cup on penalties - but only after a night in which they showed everything that makes this Club so great. Passion, determination, togetherness and a never-say-die spirit that deserved oh so much more.

Instead, the cruel lottery of penalties proved their undoing, the Serie A side winning 4-2 - with Yakubu and Phil Jagielka the players unfortunate in failing to convert their kicks.

They didn't deserve that - they were outstanding. But then so had been every single one of their teammates.

After trailing 2-0 from the opening leg, this needed to be a special night for the Blues to get anywhere near a place in the last eight.

But David Moyes' men produced in spades as Goodison rolled back the years to the glory days of the all-conquering mid-80s.

There were enough scoring chances created to win the tie three times over - plus two strong penalty claims.

Instead, it was a header in the opening period from Andrew Johnson and a goal of the highest quality from Mikel Arteta that levelled the tie. Suddenly the impossible dream seemed on - and Goodison knew it.

This was everything the display in Florence was not - cohesive, vibrant, pulsating and, crucially, clinical.

But the third goal that Everton craved in normal time wouldn't materialise - so Goodison was subjected to the anxiety of extra time. And again, the goal would not come.

Throughout the 120 minutes one side dominated, one side mounted wave after wave of attack and one side showed the undeniable hunger to secure a place in the last eight.

But despite their efforts - and they were nothing short of immense - from Tim Howard who produced excellent stops on the rare occasions he was called upon right through to the dynamo that is Johnson and the immovable object of Yakubu - the winning goal would not materialise.

Yakubu up against Fiorentina's Alessandro Gamberini

And so came penalty kicks. High drama. High anxiety. Agony. Ultimately, the tie was not lost on penalty kicks, but in the rain of Florence when the side was a shadow of its normal self.

The game started as it continued - with the Blues on the offensive. A deflected Leon Osman shot earned an early corner and gave the already magnificent support greater cause to get behind the team.

When the opening goal found the net the roof nearly lifted off the stadium.

With 17 minutes on the clock, Steven Pienaar produced a tantalising cross from the left that Sebastian Frey completely missed, allowing Johnson to head into the empty net from close range.

With Fiorentina rattled, the Blues threatened more in the minutes that followed. Mikel Arteta fired over from the right of the box and then forced the keeper into a parried save from a well hit free-kick.

Then with 20 minutes of the opening period left to play Johnson was upended in the area by Pasqual but the referee waved away the claims. It would have been academic, had Osman's fierce volley as the ball looped loose not been well saved by Frey.