Wayne Rooney was quiet and hardly had a touch for the 45 minutes he played in his Everton debut against Gor Mahia at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
In fact, the most excitement he generated was in accepting a hug from a Manchester United shirt-wearing fan who ran onto the pitch during a break in play midway through the first half.
That all changed on 34 minutes when Rooney found himself with the ball at his feet and the Gor Mahia defence backing off with 35 yards to goal.
The former United captain took a touch to steady himself and then smashed the ball into the top corner. 1-0 to Everton.
💥 | @WayneRooney returns with a stunning goal just 34 minutes into his second #EFC debut! 👌 #EvertonInTZ pic.twitter.com/59OQP4ioz4
— Everton (@Everton) July 13, 2017
The gloss of Rooney's magnificent strike was knocked off less than two minutes later when Gor Mahia equalised after Rooney's teammates went to sleep at a corner and Jacques Tuyisenge was left unmarked to score a glancing header at the near post.
The teams reached halftime at 1-1 and Ronald Koeman put an end to Tanzania's Rooney fever by withdrawing the former United man.
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