Sunderland were beaten 2-0 by Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League at the Stadium of Light, extending the Black Cats’ poor run to just one win in six games in all competitions. Luka Stojkovic volleyed the first goal, then set up Dion Beljo for the second before half-time.
The result adds to the pressure on head coach Regis Le Bris. Before the game, he said Sunderland had been too exposed and leaky at the back, but his team did not heed that warning. They trailed 2-0 at half-time in front of an angry home crowd and were booed off at both the interval and the final whistle. Many supporters left before the end.
Poor marking at a corner allowed Stojkovic to volley in the opener in the 22nd minute. Shortly before half-time, the Dinamo midfielder slipped a delightful chipped pass to Beljo, who finished sweetly. The Sunderland defenders were all at sea during the move.
Sunderland had some bad luck at the other end. They hit the woodwork in both halves, through Thomas Meunier and Kevin Danso. Dinamo defenders also made last-ditch blocks to deny Malick Fofana and Trai Hume in the same move.
Key moments from the Stadium of Light
10: Chris Rigg crossed for Jules Ahoka, whose header went straight at the Dinamo goalkeeper.
22: Beljo had a clear sight of goal, but Granit Xhaka came across to make a last-ditch block.
23 – GOAL: The resulting corner gave Stojkovic space to pull the trigger, and he produced a stunning volley.
24: Dinamo nearly made it 2-0, but Meunier cleared Milan Orsic’s effort off the line.
30: Meunier’s deep cross came back off the woodwork, nearly catching the goalkeeper out.
40 – GOAL: Stojkovic’s clipped pass found Beljo in space, and he finished to make it 2-0.
47: Xhaka crossed for Wilson Isidor, who headed home from close range, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside.
58: Sunderland kept up wave after wave of attacks. Reinildo’s header was clawed out by the goalkeeper, and Danso then struck the bar with a hooked finish on the rebound.
67: Brobbey came on and nearly pulled one back, but the goalkeeper denied him from close range after a smart pass from Xhaka.
Le Bris made four half-time substitutions and later introduced Brobbey, but the changes could not spark a comeback.
Le Bris: Chelsea is the priority
Speaking after the match, Le Bris said: “Tough period. We had two different halves. The first one was difficult with many young players. This period is not easy to manage and we felt even if they tried, it’s heavy at the minute. It’s not easy to change the dynamic.”
He added: “I appreciated the reaction in the second half, even though there were more experienced players. More quality, more experience on the pitch. We are unlucky because we created many chances but it wasn’t enough. It’s like this, when you go on a poor run it’s hard to change the dynamic.”
Le Bris also pointed to the coming weekend: “We are still combative, the players tried until the end to show something different. We know that the most important game this week is at the end of the week against Chelsea.”
Asked whether Sunderland are low on confidence, he replied: “Probably. We have good players, a good team. I believe this team has a really big potential. We showed it last season. But you also have to experience tough situations. Last season, it happened a bit later when we had 30, 35 points.”
He concluded: “Now the situation is different. This situation will define us as well as a team, as a club, with our fans, with staff – we’ll stick together and be combative until the end.”
Underprepared and underwhelming, Sunderland are sliding
Last season’s Sunderland side was tough to beat, capable of finding solutions and showing resilience. That team has disappeared this season. What the club is going through now is what many expected last season, except this time Sunderland are not a newly promoted side. They are a team competing in Europe.
The Thursday-Sunday schedule is taking its toll, and this result showed that Sunderland’s squad depth is not good enough. Ahoka, Meunier and Rigg were all taken off at half-time. With the fixture list piling up, that does not bode well.
Le Bris made a clear choice by naming Chelsea as the priority this week. His six changes for this game showed that, with this squad and this lack of confidence, Sunderland are struggling to handle their European commitments. Sunderland need the international break, and they need the January window. Le Bris may be the victim of his own success, but the question now is whether he is becoming the villain of his own hero story.