Enzo Le Fée’s second-half penalty gave Sunderland a 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar as Régis Le Bris’s side marked their return to European competition with a morale-boosting win on Wearside. Le Fée, the game’s outstanding player, struck a textbook kick low into the bottom corner and sent Jari De Busser the wrong way after Weslley Patati felled him in the area as he shaped to shoot.
The win was the only goal of a night on which Sunderland missed a litany of chances. It proved enough to launch the club’s return to Europe, but Granit Xhaka, Sunderland’s captain, believes it is not unrealistic to dream of Le Bris’s team travelling all the way to the Europa League final next spring. Reaching that showpiece in Frankfurt, however, will require considerably more efficient finishing than the home side showed against the Dutch visitors.
The occasion was marked by an evocative preamble before kick-off, including a blaze of fireworks and a giant tifo of a sailing ship floating above the message “New shores to conquer”. Among those in the VIP seats was Jimmy Montgomery, the 82-year-old hero of Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup triumph against Leeds, who had also been the club’s European goalkeeper during their last, fairly short-lived, adventure in the Cup Winners’ Cup 53 years ago.
AZ arrived unbeaten in their opening Eredivisie games, with five wins and a draw to their name under Leeroy Echteld, and they threatened first. Robin Roefs had to extend a boot to keep out a low shot from the dangerous Ro-Zangelo Daal after he was played in by the talented visiting No 10, Kees Smit.
Le Fée began raising the home tempo, his half-volley testing De Busser, who was then forced to push Kevin Danso’s fine shot over the bar. Sunderland almost came undone on the counterattack and needed an excellent interception from Trai Hume to halt Ayoub Oufkir, while at the other end Wilson Isidor conjured a glorious chance and Le Fée’s shot hit the post. Hume, who joined Sunderland in January 2022 when the club were still in League One, then sent another shot narrowly wide. Le Bris’s team ended the first half thoroughly dominant but frustrated, the manager later blaming “overthinking”. Oufkir was arguably fortunate to collect only a yellow card after sliding in recklessly on Le Fée and was replaced by Patati at the interval.
AZ re-emerged for the second half invigorated, Smit wrong-footing Sunderland’s rearguard before curling a shot inches wide. Le Fée responded with a stellar pass that Isidor could not quite finish, and when Hume missed another presentable chance it seemed De Busser’s goal must be protected by a magnetic forcefield. The breakthrough finally arrived from the spot. Le Fée, a player being scrutinised by the France head coach, Zinedine Zidane, had seen a penalty saved expertly by David Raya against Arsenal the previous Saturday and looked a little nervous, but he made no mistake this time.
“It was important to score,” Le Bris said. “But Enzo stepped up with bravery and courage. He’s resilient.” The Sunderland manager had earlier been invited to agree that a player he first coached as a 12-year-old in Lorient’s academy was Champions League class, and his smile lit up the room. “Enzo’s a great player,” he said. “I trust him and his quality. I’m proud and pleased for the players and the fans. AZ are a really good side but we played with heart and togetherness.”
Sunderland should have doubled their lead, with Nordi Mukiele and the substitute Brian Brobbey both guilty of failing to convert, before Patati’s volley almost provided a late equaliser for AZ. The penalty nevertheless proved just enough to set Le Bris’s side on their way on European waters.
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Ruben Amorim’s Milan were beaten 2-0 at San Siro by Marco Silva’s Benfica, with Dodi Lukebakio scoring in the 16th minute and Jakub Kaminski adding a second early in the second half. Bayer Leverkusen, finalists in 2024, began their campaign with a 2-0 win against the Slovenian champions Celje, while Lyon won 2-1 at Anderlecht. The Cypriot champions Omonia Nicosia stunned the La Liga side Celta Vigo 1-0, and Rangers’ conquerors Jagiellonia Bialystok were denied a point at Olympiacos by Roman Yaremchuk’s late winner. Sparta Prague thrashed Ararat-Armenia 4-1, while Sturm Graz against Rennes and Hapoel Be’er Sheva versus Dinamo Zagreb both ended goalless.