WHAT a way to make a return to overseas European competition after 53 years away. Noah Sadiki’s thumping finish in the third minute of stoppage time enabled Sunderland to claim a 2-1 win over Portuguese second-tier side Torreense and ensured the red-and-white party that has taken over Leiria in the last couple of days continued long into the night.
Sadiki’s emphatic finish settled a game that had threatened to fail to live up to its billing when a somewhat flat and inspired Sunderland side fell behind to a superb long-range strike from Torreense defender Volnei Feltes towards the end of the first half.
Regis Le Bris called for the cavalry before the hour mark, making four changes, and the Black Cats were completely unrecognisable in the final quarter of the game. One of the replacements, Nordi Mukiele, set up Jules Ahoka’s headed equaliser, with two more of the substitutes, Enzo Le Fee and Granit Xhaka, combining to set up Sadiki’s dramatic late winner.
Having seen off AZ Alkmaar in their opening Europa League game, Sunderland have claimed six points from six on their continental return. Roll on Lech Poznan and a trip to Poland in a week’s time.
With Torreense boasting an average crowd of around 1,000, and the game being staged in Leiria, around an hour away from the Portuguese team’s actual stadium, Sunderland’s first European away game in more than half-a-century felt like a home match, albeit one being played in blazing sunshine at the end of a day that had seen the travelling red-and-white hordes drink Leiria dry.
Milan might be the European away day that has really captured Wearside’s collective imagination, but this was a moment of history, a return to continental competition that had not looked likely when the Black Cats were trekking to the likes of Accrington and Fleetwood. Trai Hume and Luke O’Nien’s presence in yesterday’s starting line-up was a reminder of just how much has changed in the last five years. Having experienced the darkest of dark days, they, like the fans, were determined to enjoy their moment in the sun.
They were part of a side featuring seven changes from Saturday’s league defeat to Brighton, with Timur Tutierov making his first senior start in attack. The 21-year-old Ukrainian had impressed in pre-season, scoring against Liverpool during Sunderland’s US tour, and with Wilson Isidor back on Wearside after suffering a knock at the weekend and Brian Brobbey not risked on the bench, this was a chance for Tutierov to make a name for himself.
He thought he done exactly that midway through the first half, heading home at the back post after a long throw had flicked off the head of a Torreense defender, but the Albanian referee, who seemed to think football had become a non-contact sport, had spotted the slightest of shirt tugs from Omar Alderete and the effort was disallowed.
Tutierov’s general attacking play was impressive, with the youngster displaying plenty of energy and aggression, but he found himself stationed as the attacking spearhead of a side that wasn’t really clicking. Fofana, a £30m summer signing from Lyon, was largely anonymous on the left, with Angulo not really any more threatening having been switched to the opposite flank.
Understandably, given their second-tier status, Torreense’s game plan was all about containment. By the time the clock reached the 39-minute mark, they hadn’t had a single touch in the Sunderland box. A minute later and they still hadn’t, but they had claimed the lead.
Having picked up the ball on the left, Brazilian centre-half Feltes cut inside past a couple of defenders and decided to try his luck from 22 yards. His shot was a cracker, flying past a helpless Robin Roefs into the top corner.
Sunderland’s lack of an effective response meant Le Bris had seen enough by the 58th minute. On came Mukiele, Xhaka, Le Fee and Reinildo Mandava in a quadruple change that highlighted the extent to which things were not working.
Angulo, who was one of the players to make way, had come close with a second-half header that was clawed away by Lucas Paes, but that was a rare occasion on which the Black Cats threatened the Torreense goalkeeper prior to Le Bris’ changes. Nine minutes after the quadruple alteration, however, and the Wearsiders were level.
Having come off the bench, it was Mukiele who made the difference, twisting and turning his way past his opponent before standing up an excellent cross from the right. Ahoka didn’t get a lot of power onto his angled header, but it was just sufficient to see the ball creep inside the right-hand post.
It looked like Ahoka’s draw had secured a point with the game heading into stoppage time, but Sadiki had other thoughts. Le Fee did well to find Xhaka, he crossed from the left, and Sadiki thumped home a brilliant finish.
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