Timur Tutierov's first Sunderland goal was not enough to earn them the victory they deserved in Poland as their wastefulness was punished in a 1-1 draw at lowly Lech Poznan.
The 21-year-old got the Black Cats' - and his own - night off to the perfect start with the fastest goal in this season's Europa League, nodding home Nilson Angulo's cross with barely a minute gone after Mateusz Lis' poor clearance was picked off.
Tutierov spent last season on loan in League One with Exeter and was playing just his fourth game for Sunderland, having been fast-tracked into the club's first team following injuries to Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor.
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After a brief response from the hosts, and a couple of gilt-edged chances, the Black Cats threatened to add to their lead and hit the post through Angulo, but a host of chances came and went without adding to their early opener. They would end up registering 25 shots, including 11 on target, but it was not enough.
Having lost both of their opening League Phase games 4-0, Lech finally registered their first goal in Europe this season when substitute Martin Bengtsson fired through a crowd of bodies following a knock-down from a corner to beat an unsighted Robin Roefs at his near post with 20 minutes to go.
Though Sunderland pushed to restore their lead and saw substitute Chris Rigg curl a 20-yard effort inches over the bar, they were made to pay for failing to make their dominance count as they were denied victory for the first time in their European campaign, but remain unbeaten in the Europa League following a seventh point from their three matches so far.
Key moments from the INEA Stadion....
2: GOAL! Tutierov scores the fastest goal in this season's Europa League, heading home Angulo's cross when Sunderland press high and force a mistake from Lis.
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3: CHANCE! Roefs has to be at his best to make a superb double save from Radoslaw Murawski after initially spilling Patrik Walemark's shot into his path.
16: BIG CHANCE! Daniel Hakans races through from Pablo Rodriguez's pass in behind but misses the target altogether past a sprawling Roefs.
21: OFF THE POST! When Granit Xhaka's shot is tipped away, Fofana strikes the outside of the far post from a tight angle.
70: GOAL! Sunderland are punished for not making their dominance count as substitute Bengtsson fires in an equaliser following a corner.
82: SO CLOSE! Rigg is inches away from restoring Sunderland's lead but can only lift a curling effort onto the roof of the net from 20 yards.
Analysis: Familiar woes deny Sunderland victory
Sky Sports' Ron Walker:
"Sunderland have found goals hard to come by this season, notching only six in seven Premier League games, and had only themselves to blame again as they scored just once against a team who had shipped eight in their previous two League Phase games.
"There are mitigating factors with the absence of Wilson Isidor and Brian Brobbey, but that will not alleviate the growing sense of frustration from edging past Portuguese second-division side Torreense last week, being soundly beaten by Bournemouth and then being held by the team ranked bottom of the League Phase at the start of match day three.
"The good news is that both Brobbey and Isidor are not far from a return, while Timur Tutierov's goal will do him the world of good after being thrown in at the deep end in his first Sunderland appearances - and finding life difficult."