Enzo Le Fée's penalty in the 65th minute gave Sunderland a 1-0 win over AZ at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night, in the club's first European match for 53 years.
Sunderland were far the more threatening side, with 20 attempts to AZ's 11 and 12 corners to five, but needed the spot-kick to turn that pressure into a result. AZ held 55% of the possession over the 90 minutes, and 67% of it after the break.
Le Fée had seen a penalty saved by David Raya against Arsenal the previous Saturday. This time he sent Jari De Busser the wrong way, and Régis Le Bris's side opened their Europa League campaign with three points.
A First Half of Chances Without a Goal