{"id":773037,"date":"2026-09-17T00:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/773037\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T00:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:04:18","slug":"enzo-le-fee-makes-amends-from-the-spot-as-sunderland-overcome-az-europa-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/773037\/","title":{"rendered":"Enzo Le F\u00e9e makes amends from the spot as Sunderland overcome AZ | Europa League"},"content":{"rendered":"

Granit Xhaka, Sunderland\u2019s captain, believes it is not unrealistic to dream about R\u00e9gis Le Bris\u2019s side travelling all the way to the Europa League<\/a> final next spring.<\/p>\n

It is rarely a good idea to dismiss Xhaka but reaching that showpiece in Frankfurt will necessitate considerably more efficient finishing on his team\u2019s part than proved evident on a highly evocative night on Wearside.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a second-half penalty from the indefatigable Enzo Le F\u00e9e \u2013 appropriately the game\u2019s outstanding player \u2013 the game ended happily for Sunderland<\/a> as the home side launched their big return to Europe with a morale-boosting win.<\/p>\n

Along the way they missed a litany of chances but, in Le F\u00e9e, possessed both a high-calibre attacking playmaker and a tireless off\u2011the\u2011ball warrior who, time after time, regained possession for his team.<\/p>\n

When Le Bris was invited later to agree that a player he first coached as a 12-year-old in Lorient\u2019s academy was Champions League class, the Sunderland manager\u2019s smile lit up the room. \u201cEnzo\u2019s a great player,\u201d he said. \u201cI trust him and his quality. I\u2019m proud and pleased for the players and the fans, AZ are a really good side but we played with heart and togetherness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Occupants of the VIP seats included Jimmy Montgomery, the now 82-year-old hero of Sunderland\u2019s 1973 FA Cup triumph against Leeds and their European goalkeeper during that last, albeit fairly short\u2011lived, adventure in the Cup Winners\u2019 Cup 53 years ago.<\/p>\n

Sunderland put on an impressive fireworks display before their European comeback. Photograph: Lee Smith\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Kick-off was prefaced by a spine-tingling, ear-splitting preamble featuring a giant tifo of a sailing ship floating above the message: \u201cNew shores to conquer\u201d.<\/p>\n

Not that AZ were inclined to surrender lightly. Leeroy Echteld\u2019s team had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, winning five and drawing one of their opening Eredivisie games.<\/p>\n

Indeed they would have taken an early lead had Robin Roefs not extended a boot and kept out the dangerous Ro-Zangelo Daal\u2019s low shot after he had been played in by the talented visiting No 10 Kees Smit.<\/p>\n

The moment had arrived for Le F\u00e9e to start raising the home tone and his half-volley duly tested Jari De Busser. Though De Busser was swiftly forced to push Kevin Danso\u2019s fine shot over the bar, Sunderland almost came undone on the counterattack and it took an excellent interception on Trai Hume\u2019s part to halt Ayoub Oufkir.<\/p>\n

Quick GuideBenfica dispatch Amorim’s MilanShow<\/p>\n

Ruben Amorim\u2019s Milan were beaten 2-0 by Marco Silva\u2019s Benfica in the Europa League.\u00a0Dodi Lukebakio put the Portuguese side ahead at San Siro in the 16th minute and Jakub Kaminski added a second early in the second half.<\/p>\n

Bayer Leverkusen, finalists in 2024, began their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win against the Slovenian champions Celje while Lyon were 2-1 winners at Anderlecht.<\/p>\n

The Cypriot champions Omonia Nicosia stunned the La Liga side Celta Vigo 1-0 while Rangers\u2019 conquerors Jagiellonia Bialystok were denied a point at the Greek giants Olympiacos by Roman Yaremchuk\u2019s late winner.<\/p>\n

Sparta Prague thrashed Ararat-Armenia 4-1 while Sturm Graz against Rennes and Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva versus Dinamo Zagreb both ended goalless.<\/p>\n

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Smit and his teammates issued plenty of reminders that AZ are more than merely deft in possession, but Le Bris\u2019s starting XI was hardly shabby either and, after Wilson Isidor conjured a glorious chance, Le F\u00e9e\u2019s shot hit the post.<\/p>\n

It was not long before another shot, from Hume this time, whizzed just wide of an upright. When, back in January 2022, Hume joined Sunderland, they were still in League One.<\/p>\n

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Back in the present Le Bris\u2019s team ended the first half thoroughly dominant yet frustrated. The manager later blamed \u201coverthinking\u201d. Oufkir, meanwhile, was arguably fortunate to collect only a yellow card after sliding in recklessly on Le F\u00e9e and was replaced by Weslley Patati at the interval.<\/p>\n

AZ re-emerged for the second half invigorated and, as Smit wrong\u2011footed Sunderland\u2019s rearguard before curling a shot inches wide, it was easy to see why he has collected so many admirers across Europe.<\/p>\n

Le F\u00e9e fires home the decisive penalty. Photograph: Lee Smith\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Perhaps anxious not to be upstaged, Le F\u00e9e swiftly regained the limelight courtesy of a stellar pass that Isidor could not quite polish off.<\/p>\n

When Hume subsequently missed another presentable chance it seemed that De Busser\u2019s goal must be protected by some sort of magnetic forcefield.<\/p>\n

Then Patati felled Le F\u00e9e in the area as he shaped to shoot and a player being scrutinised by the France head coach, Zinedine Zidane, stepped up to the spot.<\/p>\n

Having seen a penalty against Arsenal saved expertly by David Raya last Saturday, Le F\u00e9e looked a little nervous but he sent De Busser the wrong way as he struck a textbook kick low into the bottom corner. \u201cIt was important to score,\u201d Le Bris said. \u201cBut Enzo stepped up with bravery and courage. He\u2019s resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey, on as a substitute, should really have doubled the lead before Patati\u2019s volley almost provided a late equaliser for AZ, that penalty proved just enough to launch Sunderland\u2019s galleon on European waters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Granit Xhaka, Sunderland\u2019s captain, believes it is not unrealistic to dream about R\u00e9gis Le Bris\u2019s side travelling all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":773038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-773037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/773038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}