Noah Sadiki scored in the third minute of stoppage time to give Sunderland a 2-1 Europa League victory over Torreense. Sky Sports reports that Régis Le Bris' team recovered from a half-time deficit against the Portuguese second-division club to secure consecutive European wins.
Substitutions change the contest
Volnei Feltes put Torreense ahead with a long-range strike. Sunderland had a Timur Tuterov header disallowed for a foul, but did not record a shot on target until the 57th minute.
Le Bris had made seven changes and introduced Enzo Le Fée, Granit Xhaka, Reinildo and Nordi Mukiele during the second half. Mukiele supplied the cross that Jules Ahoka headed in for the equaliser after 67 minutes.
A late Sunderland penalty decision was overturned following a review. The visitors eventually found their winner when Xhaka set the ball for Sadiki inside the area in stoppage time.
A milestone on a difficult away night
The goal was Sadiki's first for Sunderland since joining the previous summer. Le Bris hopes it can help him add scoring contributions to his dribbling, shooting and creative passing.
Torreense qualified by winning the Portuguese Cup despite competing outside the top division. They use a stadium in Leiria for European fixtures because their own ground does not meet UEFA requirements.
Sky describes the match as Sunderland's first European away fixture in 53 years. Sadiki praised Torreense's challenge and his teammates' response to falling behind. The decisive late finish rewarded persistence during a much harder contest than the visitors might have anticipated.