After beating Lillestrom in their maiden European fixture, Torreense, of the Portuguese second division, welcomed Premier League opposition for their first-ever home match in UEFA competition; however, they were playing at the Municipal Stadium in Leiria, rather than their own Estadio Manuel Marques, which failed to meet the required criteria.
It was also a first European outing for Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien, who threatened to mark the occasion with a goal when he headed wide from a deep corner in the early stages.
The Black Cats thought they had found the all-important opener midway through the first period, only for Timur Tutierov’s header to be ruled out for a soft foul in the build-up.
Sunderland’s frustration grew even further when Torreense’s Volnei conjured up a spectacular long-range strike against the run of play in the latter stages of the first period.
Receiving possession in his own half, the defender was allowed to maraud forward before cutting inside to whip a fierce strike into the top corner, making his first Torreense goal one to remember.
Unable to respond before the break, Sunderland went close to levelling just before the hour mark, when Nilson Angulo’s goalbound header forced Lucas Paes into a full-stretch save.
That proved to be Angulo’s final contribution as he soon departed as part of a quadruple change that saw Regis Le Bris summon Granit Xhaka, Enzo Le Fee, Reinildo Mandava and Nordi Mukiele.
The latter quickly made a positive impact with a drilled cross that picked out Jules Ahoka, who sent his downward header out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
With a win the ultimate goal, Sunderland’s hopes of three points looked to have subsided when a late penalty decision was overturned following a VAR review.
However, Sadiki still had time to snatch the spoils with a thumping first-time finish from Xhaka’s lay-off to beat Paes at the near post, sending the travelling support into raptures as they celebrated their first away win of the season.
It is also just their second win in major European competition since 1974, while their opponents have now won just one of their past four games in all competitions as they aim to return to their country’s top flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)