Loan Watch: 30th October

Everton players had mixed fortunes with their respective loan sides this weekend.

Shane Duffy celebrated his loan extension at Scunthorpe United in style with his side's first goal in a 4-2 victory over Tranmere Rovers. The Irish defender headed home after 20 minutes to cancel out Mustafa Tiryaki's early opener for the visitors.

Jose Baxter was also involved in the fixture at Glanford Park, playing for the visitors, Tranmere Rovers. At least, until he was sent off on 63 minutes for a foul on Scunthorpe captain Sam Togwell.

Femi Orenuga (pictured above, right) made his second substitute appearance for Notts County since joining them little over a fortnight ago. The winger was introduced on 72 minutes - at which point County were already trailing by 3 goals to 1 - and his side went on to lose 4-2.

Luke Garbutt retained his place in Cheltenham Town's starting XI as the Robins' impressive form continued with a narrow 2-1 victory over strugglers Plymouth Argyle. Away side Argyle took a first-half lead but two late goals - one of which was scored from the penalty spot after a foul on Garbutt - were enough to hand Cheltenham the points.

Connor Roberts kept goal for Burscough in their Northern Premier League clash with Buxton. The Everton Academy 'keeper, playing his first game for the non-League outfit, helped his loan side to a 2-2 draw.

João Silva played for Vitória de Setúbal against his previous loan side União de Leiria. Silva, who was with Leiria last year, played the full 90 minutes as Setúbal went down 2-0.

Joseph Yobo played ninety minutes for Fenerbahçe against Karabükspor. Despite going a man down early on Yobo's side ran out 1-0 winners.

International Round-Up: 10th & 11th October

The Euro 2012 Qualifying stage drew to a close on Tuesday night with plenty of Everton players in action on the international stage. I'll start the round-up, though, with Monday night's game.

Ross Barkley started for England U21s as they won 1-2 in Norway. Barkley assisted the young Lions' second goal - scored by Jordan Henderson. Jack Rodwell missed out due to a groin injury sustained in training.

Marouane Fellaini scored for Belgium on Tuesday night, although their 3-1 loss at the hands of Germany means that they have failed to qualify for next year's tournament. Which is probably a good thing for Everton. Nice one, Belgium.

Apostolos Vellios recovered from a foot injury to come off the bench for Greece U21s and score their third goal in a 1-3 victory over Belarus.

Ján Mucha's Slovakia will also not be competing in Poland/Ukraine. The Everton back-up keeper played in his side's final group game, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Macedonia, as Slovakia finished 4th in Group B.

Seamus Coleman was an unused substitute for the Republic of Ireland who beat Armenia 2-1 to finish 2nd in Group B and claim a play-off place.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov scored for Russia in their 6-0 thrashing of Andorra. The Everton man entered the fray after 72 minutes and added Russia's 6th goal on 78 minutes. Russia topped their group and are safely through to Euro 2012.

Shane Duffy was another Everton goalscorer tonight. The Scunthorpe loanee scored Ireland U21s' fourth goal in their 1-4 win over Liechtenstein U21s.

Joseph Yobo played in Nigeria's 0-0 friendly draw with Ghana. It was Nigeria's first match since their failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.

International Round-Up: 8th & 9th October

Joseph Yobo captained Nigeria in their crucial and final African Cup of Nations Qualifier against Guinea on Saturday. Nigeria could only muster a 2-2 draw, a result which was not enough to see them qualify for next year's tournament. That news means that Everton will not lose Victor Anichebe for a month in January 2012.

Tim Howard kept goal for the United States as they beat Honduras 1-0 in a friendly match. Fulham's Clint Dempsey scored the only goal of the game, although the US have Howard to thank for keeping the score down at the other end after the Everton keeper pulled off a string of good saves.

Shkodran Mustafi played for Germany's U20 side as they brushed aside Switzerland 4-1 in Pfullendorf. It was the defender's 4th cap for Germany U20s.

Loan Watch - 1st October

Away from the disappointing events of the 216th Merseyside derby, several of Everton's players were in action for their loan sides this weekend.

João Silva scored for Vitória de Setúbal as they beat Rio Ave 2-1 on Friday night. You can see the Portuguese striker's goal in this video - about 2 minutes in.

Jose Baxter made his second appearance for Tranmere Rovers in their 0-0 draw with Bournemouth at Prenton Park.

Shane Duffy played the full ninety minutes for Scunthorpe United as they won 1-2 at Stevenage.

Luke Garbutt, who only joined Cheltenham Town this week, was an unused substitute as his new side secured a great 1-3 victory at Bristol Rovers.

Joseph Yobo was involved in a great game over in Turkey, where his Fenerbahçe side eventually ran out 4-2 winners over Büyükşehir.

Araz Abdullayev came on as a 74th minute substitute as Neftçi Baku beat Simurq 2-1. The Azerbaijani winger is not on loan - but Everton have first option on him should he be granted a work permit.

International Round-Up: 6th September

It was a busy night for Everton's international players, here's how they got on:

Victor Anichebe overcame a slight injury that he sustained last week to start for Nigeria in their friendly against Argentina in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Super Eagles were captained by Everton defender Joseph Yobo, who recently completed a loan move to Fenerbahce. Gonzalo Higuain gave the Argentinians the lead (24) and Angel Di Maria scored a second two minutes later (26). Nigeria pulled one back through Chinedu Obasi (46) before an own goal from Uwa Echiejile (65) made it 3-1 to Argentina, which is how it ended.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was a 76th minute substitute for Russia in Ireland. The match finished goalless, largely thanks to some incredible defensive play from Richard Dunne and Shay Given.

Shane Duffy, who has joined Scunthorpe United on loan, played the last 15 minutes as his Republic of Ireland U21 side went down 1-0 in Turkey. The only goal of the game was scored by Şahin Aygüneş (10).

John Heitinga's Netherlands all but booked their place at Euro 2012 after a 0-2 win in Finland - the Dutch goals coming courtesy of Kevin Strootman (29) and Luuk de Jong (90). Everton man Heitinga played the full game.

Tim Cahill was left on the bench for Australia against Saudi Arabia after picking up a very slight knock against Thailand. He did come on for the last 5 minutes, by which time the Socceroos had the game tied up thanks to goals from Josh Kennedy (40, 56) and Luke Wilkshire (77). Saudi Arabia did get one back through Al-Shamrani (65) but it proved just a consolation.

Everton's back-up keeper Jan Mucha had a terrible night as his Slovakia side lost 0-4 at home to minnows Armenia. The goals came from Movsisyan (57), Mkhitaryan (70), Ghazaryan (80) and Sarkisov (90). Household names.

Phil Jagielka remained an unused substitute as England beat Wales at Wembley courtesy of a solitary Ashley Young goal. Jagielka's team-mate Leighton Baines withdrew from the squad last week due to injury.

Tim Howard and Marouane Fellaini faced each other as the USA travelled to Belgium for a friendly. Fellaini will have the bragging rights at Finch Farm next week after the Belgians came out on top 1-0 thanks to a Nicolas Lombaerts goal.

Turkish Delight At Long Last For Yobo

Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo has finally joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, albeit on a season-long loan instead of a permanent deal.

Yobo spent time on loan in Turkey last year and a transfer has been in the pipeline ever since. But a series of events including different valuations, the Turkish match-fixing scandal and even the kidnapping of John Obi Mikel's father have all put the switch on hold.

The Turkish transfer window closed on Monday night which allowed the two clubs time to complete a deal. Yobo, 30, joined Everton in 2002 and has made over 250 appearances for the club.

Nigerian journalist and friend of Yobo, Colin Udoh, wrote on Twitter: "Yobo loves Everton. It's obvious when he talks. His issue is with Moyes. Relationship totally broken."

Yobo's contract at Everton expires in 2014.

International Round-Up: 3rd & 4th September

Four Everton players have represented their countries in the past two days.

I'll start the round-up with a match that took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Tim Howard played in goal for the USA as they went down 0-1 to Costa Rica. Former Everton loanee Landon Donovan also featured and both players will hope to play again on Tuesday in the USA's friendly with Marouane Fellaini's Belgium.

Shkodran Mustafi won his second cap for the Germany U20 side today as they won 2-1 in Switzerland thanks to goals from Pelle Jensen and Julian Weissmeier. Everton defender Mustafi has only just been promoted to the U20 side after representing his country at various other youth levels.

Everton duo Joseph Yobo and Victor Anichebe both featured for Nigeria in the Super Eagles' 0-2 win in Madagascar - but had contrasting afternoons. Defender Yobo opened the scoring after 68 minutes prior to Obinna Nsofor's late strike, but Anichebe picked up a groin injury in the final moments of the match and is though to be out for 2-3 weeks.

Anichebe, who is expected to fly back to England tonight, had had a very good game according to his international manager, Samson Siasia: "It is very sad for him. He was huge for us today, he did all the right things, played well but unfortunately picked up an injury in the last three minutes.

"But that's football. It's very unfortunate, but I hope he gets well soon so he can continue to feature for his club. That pitch was not very good and we are lucky our players did not get serious injuries.

"Hopefully, Anichebe will be fine after getting some medical attention. Our thoughts will be with him."

Norwich City Reserves 2-1 Everton Reserves

A youthful Everton reserve side lost 2-1 to Norwich at Carrow Road on Tuesday night in their third fixture of the season.

The visitors were missing a host of players for various reasons. Both regular centre backs Shane Duffy and Shkodran Mustafi were away on international duty with Ireland U21 and Germany U19 respectively.

Nigerian duo Yakubu and Joseph Yobo, who had both featured in the second string's opening two games, were also absent form the squad. Yobo is expected to complete his protracted transfer to Fenerbahce tomorrow, whilst Yakubu could also be on his way out.

That meant that coach Alan Stubbs had a young set of players from which to choose from and the selected starting eleven was: Davies, Browning, Nsiala, Dier, Bidwell, Orenuga, Lundstram, Forshaw, Garbutt, Baxter, McAleny.

Everton took the lead just before half time when, after Norwich goalkeeper Remi Matthews had made a smart double save, midfielder John Lundstram scored from range.

In front of a crowd that included ex-Everton and current Norwich forward James Vaughan, the canaries fought hard in the second half and grabbed a deserved equaliser on 73 minutes through Richard Brindley.

Minutes later the home side won a penalty when Andrew Surman went over in the box. The same player picked himself up and took the spot-kick, but Adam Davies in the Everton goal saved the effort - just as Tim Howard had done for the senior side at Ewood Park on Saturday.

The fixture looked to be heading for a draw but Norwich stole all three points in injury time through Aaron Wilbraham and Everton left empty-handed.

Yobo, Anichebe In Nigeria Squad

Joseph Yobo and Victor Anichebe have both been named in the Nigeria squad for the Super Eagles' upcoming games against Madagascar and Argentina.

Coach Samson Siasia has named a 25-man squad for the two fixtures. As expected it includes captain Joseph Yobo, who is reportedly on the verge of a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, and Victor Anichebe, who scored in Everton's Carling Cup triumph over Sheffield United last night.

Nigeria will play an Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier in Madagascar on September 4th before flying to Bangladesh for a friendly with Argentina on September 6th. I hear Argentina have this kid called Messi. He's going to be big, apparently.

The full Nigeria squad is: Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba, Chigozie Agbim, Chibuzor Okonkwo, Elderson Echiejile, Joseph Yobo, Yusuf Ayila, Efe Ambrose, Dele Adeleye, Danny Shittu, Joel Obi, John Mikel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Kalu Uche, Nosa Igiebor, Solomon Okoronkwo, Ahmed Musa, Obinna Nsofor, Victor Anichebe, Ike Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Emmanuel Emenike, Peter Utaka, Chinedu Obasi, Brown Ideye.

Everton Reserves 0-2 Fulham Reserves

An Everton reserve side including Nigerian pair Yakubu and Joseph Yobo lost 0-2 to Fulham in their second league fixture this afternoon.

Yobo and Yakubu were both included in the starting line-up for the behind-closed-doors league fixture at Finch Farm, despite the former reported to be on the verge of signing for Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

The full Everton side was: Davies; Garbutt, Yobo, Duffy, Browning; Forshaw, Wallace, Baxter, Orenuga; Yakubu, Vellios.

Alexander Brister gave the Cottagers the lead five minutes into the second half and Courtney Harris grabbed the second shortly afterwards.

Everton failed to recover from the two quickfire goals and the match finished 0-2.

Everton Reserves: Davies, Browning (Mustafi 56), Garbutt, Duffy, Yobo, Orenuga, Baxter, Wallace, Forshaw, Vellios, Yakubu.

Fulham Reserves: Bettinelli, Passley, Smith, Arthurworrey (Dean 73), Burn, Pritchard, Brister, Harris, Donegan (Minkwitz 64), Frei, Kacaniklic.

Goals: Brister 50, Harris 55.

West Brom Reserves 2-2 Everton Reserves

Two Everton goals in the space of as many minutes earned Everton reserves a point against West Bromwich Albion in the first game of the new campaign.

Conor McAleny and Yakubu scored Everton's goals in the 73rd and 75th minutes respectively to salvage Everton a point after efforts from West Brom's James Hurst and Saido Berahino had left the visitors 2-0 down.

Goalscorer Yakubu and fellow Nigerian Joseph Yobo were the most experienced names on the Everton teamsheet, and both played the full game in the behind-closed-doors fixture.

In the opening exchanges both James Wallace and Conor McAleny had efforts saved, but the Blues fell behind on 38 minutes to a James Hurst volley.

Despite suffering that setback Everton continued to attack and further chances fell to Yakubu and Femi Orenuga, whilst Yobo went close from a free-kick.

Youngster Berahino doubled the Baggies' advantage with a 68th minute tap-in, but Everton again responded well and were rewarded shortly afterwards.

A left-wing cross from Jake Bidwell was headed home by McAleny and just two minutes later the Blues were level as Yakubu's neat finish rescued a deserved point.

West Bromwich Albion: Fulop; Jones, McAuley, Ibanez (Downing 45), Mattock (Gayle 72); Hurst (Edge 85), Thorne, Mantom, O'Neil; Sawyers, Berahino. Subs not used: Daniels, Goldsmith.

Everton: Davies; Browning, Yobo, Mustafi, Bidwell; Orenuga, Wallace, Baxter, Forshaw; McAleny, Yakubu. Subs not used: Roberts, Duffy, Nsiala, Forrester, Higgins.

Rumour: Everton, Fenerbahce Resume Yobo Talks

Everton have resumed talks with Turkish giants Fenerbahce over the proposed transfer of Joseph Yobo - according to The Mirror.

The move had appeared to be off due to the clubs having different valuations of the player and the match-fixing scandal in Turkey which has seen over 15 Fenerbahce officials arrested.

The Mirror report that Fenerbahce are back in touch in an attempt to push a £2m deal through. It is only a third of Everton's £6m valuation but it would give David Moyes cash to play with as he attempts to bring in a couple of new players before the end of the transfer window.

A potential hitch remains though - Fenerbahce need permission from the authorities to sign players as part of the probe into match-fixing allegations.

International Round-Up: 9th August

Shane Duffy played the second half for the Republic of Ireland U21 side on Tuesday night, whilst Araz Abdullayev featured for Azerbaijan U21s.

Centre-half Duffy was introduced at half-time in the Republic's friendly U21 game with Austria with the scores level at 0-0. Against the run of play, Austria took the lead on 68 minutes through a free-kick from Raphael Holfhauser.

Ireland responded well and managed to turn the game on its head thanks to a brace from Robbie Brady. The Manchester United youngster levelled the game on 72 minutes before winning - and converting - a penalty in injury time.

Earlier in the day teenager Araz Abdullayev represented Azerbaijan U21 as they won 3-1 in Estonia. Abdullayev started in Tallinn as goals from Cihan Özkara (2) and Mirhüseyn Seyidov gave the Azerbaijanis victory.

Everton have not yet signed Abdullayev - but the club do have first option on the 18-year-old providing he can obtain a work permit.

One game that didn't take place today was the Ghana v Nigeria fixture. The game was scheduled to be held at Watford's Vicarage Road, but was cancelled amid safety fears following the riots in the capital.

That meant that Victor Anichebe and Joseph Yobo were denied the chance to represent their country, although Yakubu was not in the squad.

Qualifying Blues

England have been handed a favourable draw for the 2014 World Cup Qualifying stages, but what does the draw mean for Everton's international stars? We're going to take a look...

Africa

Our Nigerian trio of Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Joseph Yobo and Victor Anichebe have seen their country drawn alongside Malawi, Seychelles/Kenya and Djibouti/Namibia in Group F of the African qualifying stages. The fixtures will be played from June 1, 2012 until September 10, 2013. The full draw is as follows:

• 
  
• Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia
• Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar
• Group C: Ivory Coast, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania
• Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi
• Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome Principe or Congo
• Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia
• Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique
• Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda
• Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or DR Congo
• Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia

Asia

You may be thinking that Everton don't have any Asian players - but think again, because FIFA qualify Australia as an Asian nation. Tim Cahill's socceroos will play Saudi Arabia, Oman and Thailand in Group D, and will need to finish first or second to advance to the next stage. The full Asian draw is as follows:

• Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
• Group B: South Korea, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon
• Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, North Korea
• Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
• Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia

CONCACAF

Tim Howard's USA side have been afforded the luxury of being fast-tracked to round two of the CONCACAF qualifying stages. This means they will face Jamaica, along with the winners of groups E and F:

• 
  
• Group A: El Salvador, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
• Group B: Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda
• Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
• Group D: Canada, St Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
• Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize
• Group F: Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands
• 
  
• Round Two
• 
  
• Group A: USA, Jamaica, Winner E, Winner F
• Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner A, Winner B
• Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner D, Winner C.

Oceania

No Everton representatives here and nobody really cares. I'll save you two years of fixtures and tell you that New Zealand have qualified.

Europe

Marouane Fellaini's Belgium have been drawn in Group A of the European qualifying rounds alongside Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Scotland and Wales. Seamus Coleman's Ireland have been handed a very tough group that includes Germany and Sweden, whilst John Heitinga and Holland's biggest rivals in Group D will likely be Turkey.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Russia will hope to qualify from Group F, in which they will have to face Portugal. Group G seems to be the 'group of life' and Jan Mucha's Slovakia will be confident of progressing. The group also includes Greece, for whom Apostolos Vellios may push for inclusion in the squad.

England have been drawn in Group H and Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines will hope to play some part against Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and San Marino. And finally, Magaye Gueye may hope to force his way into France's squad for Group I, which also includes World Champions Spain. Full listing:

• Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
• Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
• Group C: Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan
• Group D: Holland, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra
• Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland
• Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
• Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein
• Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
• Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland

Everton Duo In Nigeria Squad

Victor Anichebe and Joseph Yobo have been included in the Nigeria squad that will face Ghana in London next month.

Nigerian manager Samson Siasia has named a 22-man squad for the fixture, which will take place on August 9th at Vicarage Road, the home of Championship club Watford. The full squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba, Chigozie Agbim

Defenders: Chibuzor Okonkwo, Taye Taiwo, Gege Soriola, Elderaon Echiejile, Joseph Yobo, Yusuf Ayila, Efe Ambrose

Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Fengor Ogude, Joel Obi, Kalu Uche, Emmanuel Ekpo, Solomon Okoronkwo

Forwards: Obinna Nsofor, Victor Anichebe, Ike Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Ekigho Ehiosun, Emmanuel Emenike

Yobo Set for Everton Showdown Talks

Joseph Yobo is set to meet with Everton chairman Bill Kenwright on Wednesday in an attempt to finally push through the defender's permanent move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

According to kickoff.com, a leading Nigerian football website, the talks were originally set for Tuesday but were re-scheduled to allow Yobo to join in and have his say on proceedings.

A source close to the website tells that “Joe is flying out to England on Wednesday to hold talks with the Everton chairman about his move. He is keen to get this whole issue sorted out before the end of the week.”

The 30-year old spent last campaign on loan at the Turkish club, becoming a cult hero as his headed goal sealed a record 18th league title. Fenerbahce have reportedly offered him a pre-contract, but talks between the two clubs have stalled due to different valuations.

International Round-up; Yobo Scores for Nigeria, Rodwell and Mustafi also feature

Jack Rodwell, Shkodran Mustafi, Joseph Yobo and Magaye Gueye were all in international action on Sunday.

Nigeria could only manage a 2-2 draw with Ethiopia in Addis Ababa despite going into the game as strong favourites. Victor Anichebe was an unused substitute, but Everton's other representative, Joseph Yobo, equalised with 4 minutes to go. Earlier Kalu Uche opened the scoring for Nigeria, before a brace from Saladin Seid put Ethiopia in front. Yobo's 86th minute header levelled the match and left the Super Eagles top of the African Cup of Nations Qualifying Group B, albeit only courtesy of goal difference.

Jack Rodwell played the full ninety minutes for England U-21s as they strolled to a 2-0 victory over Norway in a World Cup warm up match at St. Mary's. Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring on 9 minutes and Tottenham's Danny Rose added another shortly before the break. Rodwell came close to adding a third, but his 25-yard striker skimmed past the post.

Magaye Gueye played for France U-21s as they drew 1-1 with Ukraine in a friendly match.

Finally, defender Shkodran Mustafi played for Germany U-19s as they lost out to Turkey. Muhammet Demir of Turkey scored the only goal of the game with a direct free-kick after 22 minutes.

Yobo Subject of FIFA Investigation

Nigeria captain and Everton defender Joseph Yobo has found himself at the centre of a FIFA investigation surrounding Nigeria's 4-1 victory over Argentina.

FIFA, who are certainly no strangers to a spot of corruption themselves, have launched an investigation into betting patterns during the friendly match in Abuja. Nigeria led 4-0 against a second-string Argentina side, before Yobo's handball allowed Mauro Boselli to equalise from the penalty spot.

It is claimed that a high number of bets were placed for there to be another goal whilst the score was 4-0.

In a statement, FIFA said: "FIFA can confirm that this match between Nigeria and Argentina was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing FIFA investigation."

Anichebe's Nigeria thrash Weakened Argentines

Victor Anichebe and Joseph Yobo helped Nigeria to a 4-1 victory over a Lionel Messi-less Argentina in Abuja last night.

The Super Eagles were angry at the under-strength team that Argentina had brought to Abuja, but it was an impressive victory nonetheless. Real Zaragoza striker Ikechukwu Uche started the scoring in the 10th minute as his shot deflected over Adrian Gabbarini in the Argentine goal.

On 28 minutes Anichebe earned a contentious penalty, which West Ham's Victor Obinna converted to make it 2-0 to the home side. Before the break Uche struck again, his headed effort putting the Nigerians 3 to the good.

Just before half-time Emmanuel Emineke came on to replace Anichebe. The substitute promptly scored to make it 4-0, before Argentine Mauro Boselli scored a late consolation from the penalty spot.

The Argentina side that played was seriously weakened, with no Messi, Tevez, Mascherano or Aguero, but Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo, who is still an Everton player, said afterwards "Let's not take anything away from the importance of this win."

Yobo Go or Yobo No?

Just a couple of hours after Everton had seen off an uninterested Chelsea side to end their season on a high, on-loan defender Joseph Yobo became a cult hero at Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, scoring the goal that saw his side claim the domestic title. 67 minutes into a tricky away fixture at Sivasspor, Yobo headed in from Emre Belezoglu's corner (remember him?) to put his side 4-2 up. The match ended 4-3, a result that saw the Istanbul giants pip Trabzonspor to the Turkish Süper Lig title courtesy of the head-to-head rule.

The league triumph was Fenerbahce's first in 4 years, and came after a remarkable run in the second half of the season that saw them win 17 of their final 18 fixtures. It looks likely that Yobo will make the permanent switch this Summer, but the Guardian reports that the fee represents a stumbling block in the transfer.

When Everton agreed to loan Yobo to San Kanaryalar (the yellow canaries) last Summer, the deal included a clause that allowed Fenerbahce to sign him at the end of the season for £6 million. However, the Turkish club have tabled an offer of just £2 million for the player, who still has three years left on his Everton contract.

Yobo will almost certainly be sold this Summer but hopefully we will get closer to the £6 million asking price. With three years left on his contract, I'm sure we could sell him to another club for more than £2 million.

Anyway, I trust Moyes will get the right deal for his first Everton signing. I would also like to thank Yobo for his service at Goodison and wish him luck in his career.