A decent away result, or one that got away? A valuable point towards qualification or two dropped?
There’s probably no consensus on Sunderland’s latest Europa League result: an entertaining draw with Polish livewires Lech Poznan, but as we look to get our season up and running in the Premier League with a huge clash with Leeds next, it didn’t feel definitive either way. It was probably OK. Acceptable. Decent.
In many ways, Thursday evening’s main event was a curious game to watch, with Sunderland showing their good and bad sides in glorious technicolour during the course of the ninety minutes.
The opening goal came as a result of two things: pressure on the opposition defence and positivity as the Lads’ opted to deploy an attack-minded approach that led to Timur Tuteriov cashing in on some poor Poznan defending, being set up by Nilson Angulo for a strong headed finish. A huge fillip for the young Ukrainian striker after a difficult afternoon against Bournemouth — and hopefully the first of many goals to come in a Sunderland shirt, too.
Overall, there was far more pep about Sunderland’s attacking showing, and certainly in the first half, on Thursday.
Better movement. More willingness to take the opposition on, drive into promising positions and either shoot or attempt to drive dangerous balls into the box. There was nothing timid about our endeavours in the final third and that’s good, but whether we can take such an approach into the Premier League after some of the stodgy football we’ve seen recently, who knows?
After a quiet start to his Sunderland career, Malick Fofana showed far more of his quality and was unlucky not to add a second goal when his shot cannoned off the post, and with the immensely impressive Jules Ahoka looking every inch a cracking prospect (the Jobe comparisons as highlighted by my Roker Report mucker Jonny Hawley — athleticism, skill in tight spaces, willingness to drive forward — are entirely valid), at times, this felt much more like the version of Sunderland we could be.
OK, this was by no means the perfect, no-flaws, “every single box ticked” display. We failed to cash in on plenty of decent opportunities and Poznan did have chances and but for some ropey finishing, this could’ve been a far more high-scoring game than was the case.
It’s fair to say that the midfield was worryingly open at times, with Granit Xhaka’s ineffectiveness harder to overlook, and that the defence was left exposed on too many occasions in the face of lively Poznan counter attacks, but Régis Le Bris is searching for balance; the sweet spot between solidity and creative flair, and there’s clearly more to come.
That said, conceding an equaliser in such frustrating fashion — Leo Bengtsson firing the hosts level after some less-than convincing defending from a set piece — was the sting in the tail at the end of a night that promised much more than it ultimately delivered, and it’s fair to say that Sunderland’s wastefulness in front of goal was borderline criminal in a situation like this.
It must improve. It’s as simple as that.
Despite our struggles on the home front, Europa League games offer more scope for experimentation away from the intense spotlight of the Premier League, as well as giving key squad members vital game time as they aim to work their way into Le Bris’ thinking on the domestic front.
Will he continue to do that, given that qualification seems like a very realistic prospect? You’d imagine so, and it’s reassuring to see that we do seemingly have the depth to travel, make changes and still emerge with a respectable result.
Fundamentally, this was simply a surreal occasion: the stadium, the home fans giving the Lads a suitably raucous welcome, and of course the sight of Sunderland’s players mixing it with the kind of exotic European opponent that was nothing more than a pipe dream a few short years ago.
For now, it’s back to the Premier League and two potentially definitive clashes with Leeds and Coventry. For all of the European glamour, our situation in the top flight is less than ideal and we really need to pick up two positive results in the next two games in order to breed confidence, belief and momentum.
It’ll be interesting to see if we do.
22 October 2026
Uefa Europa League
Enea Stadion
Lech Poznan: 1 (Bengtsson 70’)
Sunderland: (Tuteriov 2’)
Lech Poznan: Lis; Joel Pereira, Skrzypczak, Yegbe; Gurgul, Kozubal, Murawski (Agnero 83’); Wålemark (Berggren 82’), Rodríguez, Håkans (Palma 62’); Ishak (Jagiello 87’)
Subs Not Used: Bartczak, Janyszka, Obremski, Pruchniewski, Szymczak
Sunderland: Roefs; Mukiele (Hume 62’), Danso, O’Nien; Methalie, Xhaka (Sadiki 63’), Ahoka; Diarra (Le Fée 63’), Fofana, Angulo (Rigg 63’); Tuteriov (Reinildo 83’)
Subs Not Used: Moore, Alderete, Jones, Proctor, Ogunsuyi, Scott, Whittaker