Late Drama in Leiria

Sunderland maintained their perfect start to their Europa League campaign on Thursday, surviving a major scare against second-tier Portuguese side Torreense before Noah Sadiki's 93rd-minute winner sealed a 2-1 comeback victory at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa.

Just as the spoils looked set to be shared, Granit Xhaka's lay-off was thumped in at Lucas Paes' near post by Sadiki, sending the travelling supporters into ecstasy and keeping the Black Cats top of their group with two wins from two.

Torreense Stun the Premier League Side

The hosts, appearing in their first-ever European home fixture, had taken the lead just before half-time through a stunning strike from Volnei Feltes, the defender capping a driving run with a curling finish past Robin Roefs.

The first half was a cagey affair, with just four shots attempted by both sides combined (one for Torreense, three for Sunderland) — the fewest in the opening period of a Europa League game involving an English team since Arsenal versus Qarabag in December 2018.

Sunderland found their groove after the interval, though. The Premier League side levelled in the 67th minute when Jules Ahoka headed into the bottom-right corner after being teed up by substitute Nordi Mukiele's delivery.

Ahoka Joins Elite Company

At 20 years and 160 days, Ahoka became the third African player under the age of 21 to score for an English club in the Europa League, following Ademola Lookman for Everton (20 years, 48 days in December 2017) and Amad Diallo for Manchester United in March 2021 (18 years, 243 days).

The strike also continued a striking trend for Sunderland, with seven of the Black Cats' eight goals in major European competition scored in the second half, including all three of their goals in this season's Europa League.

Le Bris Savours a 'Special' Night

Sunderland's 90th-minute winning goal was their first in the Europa League since Manchester United against Rangers in January 2025, and their first away from home since Wolves at Besiktas in October 2019.

Head coach Regis Le Bris made no secret of his delight at a result that came amid a difficult Premier League start, with Sunderland sitting 17th on four points from their opening six matches.

"We're back in Europe 53 years later and winning this game right at the end is very special. It is a symbol, and important, I think, for many reasons," Le Bris said.

"The first one is for our club and our fans. They were fantastic once again.

"Also, we are growing up, and we need these experiences, and I think the team showed this belief until the very end. It is important for us to show this mindset.

"We like it. We are looking forward to the next game, and I think we earned this opportunity [European football] last season.

"I'm enjoying every single second. It's going to be challenging and demanding but exciting as well. We want to embrace the challenge."

Sadiki: 'They Made It Really Difficult for Us'

Sadiki, whose late intervention was his first goal for Sunderland, credited his team-mates' resilience and revealed the role Xhaka played in the decisive moment.

"I'm really happy for the team because we showed great mentality today. We were down but we came back," Sadiki told UEFA.com.

"That's what we needed to do, and now we focus on the next game. Granit Xhaka told me to shoot. I didn't think twice. I was waiting for it. I'm really happy.

"But they made it really difficult for us, even though people considered us favourites before the game. I'm really happy for them because they showed what it means to play in the Europa League, even though they're in the second division.

"You don't have to be scared of the big teams. So they played really well, but unfortunately for them, we won."

A Historic Opponent

Torreense's appearance was a landmark moment for the club. The Portuguese second-tier side, who have not played top-flight football since the 1991-92 campaign, qualified for the competition after stunning Sporting to win the Taca de Portugal in May, with Stopira scoring the decisive penalty in extra time of a 2-1 final victory. Thursday's match, their first-ever European home fixture, was played 47 miles away in Leiria because their own stadium fails UEFA criteria.