Angulo Stands Out As Sunderland Start Fast
Sunderland made the perfect start, scoring in 78 seconds through Timur Tutierov’s first goal for the club. The goal came from excellent pressing from Nilson Angulo, who nipped in to steal a loose pass from the Poznan goalkeeper, a brilliant first touch setting him up to cross the ball in and Timur made no mistake in nodding the ball home.
Angulo was a constant threat throughout, combining well with Nordi Mukiele on a number of occasions and repeatedly winning possession high up the pitch. The Ecuadorean’s energy, direct running and willingness to run at defenders gave Sunderland a big threat down the right wing, and we lost a lot down that side when he was replaced in the second half.
Fofana Finds His Feet
Last night was probably Malick Fofana’s best game in a Sunderland shirt, or at least his most dangerous. Fofana looked confident running at defenders and offered a real threat in the final third. The Belgian, like Angulo on the right, operated much higher up the pitch than we’ve seen in recent weeks, and constantly stretched the Poznan defence and created problems with his directness.
A couple of chances passed Fofana by, cutting in on his right on a couple of occasions but the shots were either comfortably saved or hit off target, encouraging signs from our record signing however. Fofana also had a chance late on when he was laid off by Enzo Le Fee, who really should’ve taken the shot on himself, but Fofana was unable to wrap his foot around the ball and get it on target.
Defensive Improvements Needed Despite Ahoka’s Immense Display
Once again, Jules Ahoka was probably the best player on the pitch last night, and it feels like a matter of time before our Congolese mountain of a man is starting in the Premier League. Ahoka won the ball back well, moved it smartly and also offers a threat in the opposition box with his sheer size, as he showed in Leiria against Torreense last week.
However, the defensive performance as a whole was still under par. Nobody in particular had a bad game or made a number of mistakes, but something just isn’t right at the moment and we’re way too easy to carve open at times. Lech Poznan exploited the space in our midfield in the first half and created a number of dangerous opportunities. A tactical shift did improve our stability and Sunderland began controlling the game, but we never looked truly comfortable.
The equaliser, coming from a set piece when Sunderland should have long put the game to bed, only reinforced the need for improvement. There were positives to take, but tightening up the defence remains a priority for Regis Le Bris and his team.
Robin Roefs At His Best
Robin Roefs had a mixed start, with an early mishit pass giving the ball away, and struggling to keep hold of the following shot resulting in Roefs needing quick reactions to prevent an instant equaliser for the hosts.
After that however, Roefs was sublime, and looked a lot more like the Robin Roefs of last season. A string of good saves kept Sunderland ahead, and a magnificent Monty-esque double save late on kept us level. The equaliser itself was a good strike, with Roefs largely unsighted with the amount of players in the way, and there was nothing the Dutchman really could’ve done with that one.
Tonight was a reminder of how good Roefs is, and of his importance to this team. Hopefully this will inject some much needed confidence into Roefs and he can return to top form.
A Point Gained, Two Points Dropped
Sunderland created more than enough chances to win this game comfortably, and on another night could’ve been 4/5-0 up by half time. Habib Diarra had a couple of good chances on a strong return to the side for the Senegalese; Granit Xhaka forced two strong saves from the Poznan goalkeeper either side of Fofana’s rebound hitting the post. Chris Rigg almost scored a recreation of Torreense’s goal last week that I’m still convinced nestled in the top corner, and Enzo Le Fee was his usual dangerous self after coming on.
The problem was turning the creativity into goals. The Lads threatened the Poznan goal throughout the game, pressed well and controlled large portions of the match, but the final pass or finish was often missing. As I said in a previous point, the equaliser came when Sunderland should’ve been out of sight, which is always going to be frustrating, but the creativity was encouraging for a side that has created very little in recent weeks.
There is still a lot to like about this side, but clinical finishing remains the difference between a decent point on the road and a deserved victory.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, it was a frustrating result, and Sunderland will feel they should’ve won this game after creating plenty of chances. The wingers wingered for once this season, and both impressed, while Roefs made some outstanding saves. Wasteful finishing and defensive frailties proved costly in the end. Still, seven points from three in Europe, and we’re halfway to a points total that qualified for the top 8 in this competition just 2 years ago.