Sunderland 1 AZ Alkmaar 0: Enzo Le Fee the hero as Black Cats win on return to Europe after 53-YEAR absence

ENZO LE FEE wrote his name into Wearside folklore as Sunderland returned to European football with a bang. The Frenchman had a penalty saved four days earlier against Arsenal. But he was the coolest man in the North East as his spot-kick secured this 1-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar from the spot. Enzo Le Fee scored the decisive penalty to become a Sunderland hero Credit: Reuters The Black Cats won their first European game in 53 years Credit: Getty It may not have been spectacular. It still meant everything to the Mackems. William Hughes, Dennis Tueart, Robert Kerr and Micky Horswill have enjoyed the fame of being the only players in the club’s history to score in Europe for over half a century. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Now Le Fee has ensured it will be his name being spoken about by future generations. Five years ago this week Sunderland had just hosted Accrington Stanley before travelling to Fleetwood Town in League One. Now they have trips to Portugal, Poland, Belgium and Italy’s legendary San Siro to come. It has been doom to boom since Swiss-French billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus bought the club in 2021. Two promotions in three years and a top seven finish on their Premier League return is the stuff of dreams for long-suffering supporters. Of course, this is not the Black Cats’ first foray into European competition. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Not many fans that saw the famous 1973 FA Cup win over Leeds United are still around. Even less can say they were there at Roker Park to see their side face Hungarian outfit Vasas SC in the resulting Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup campaign. A decision by greedy club chiefs to double ticket prices backfired. Fuming Mackems voted with their feet as under 23,000 watched them win their first-ever Euro game on Wearside. Knocked out by Sporting Lisbon in the next round, it has taken 53 years for Sunderland to get back. And nobody wanted to miss out this time. There was not a spare seat in the Stadium of Light for the start of this new adventure. The sky was lit up first red and then white pre-game by spectacular searchlights, not used since 2003 and long forgotten about. The players entered to deafening noise and a huge flag of a ship down the Roker End declared: ‘New shores to conquer!’ Moments later you could hear a pin drop as Enzo Le Fee passed straight to Kees Smit, who sent Mexx Meerdink clear only for Robin Roefs to come to the rescue. AZ Alkmaar are no mugs. Dutch Cup holders, undefeated and sitting second in Eredivisie and Europa Conference League quarter finalists last term. But it is now 12 games on the spin they have failed to beat English opposition as Sunderland responded to that scare in style. Sunderland fans created a raucous atmosphere Credit: Reuters It was the perfect start to their Europa league campaign Credit: Getty Le Fee nearly made amends as Jari De Busser parried away his shot up the other end while the Frenchman’s drive back across the box was missed by both Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor. Kevin Danso, a winner of competition with Tottenham in 2025, had De Busser working again before Le Fee’s first-time shot from Isidor’s cutback smashed off the post. Sunderland’s French winger was on a mission and smashed another into the side-netting as the half ended all-square. Smit’s shimmy round Nordi Mukiele and shot past the far post had Mackem hearts in mouths again before the hosts swung back. Isidor wildly lashed high into the stand before De Busser’s legs denied Trai Hume. Finally, just after the hour, Sunderland had lift-off. A counter-attack found man of the match Le Fee, he cut inside Wouter Goes and went to pull the trigger before being clipped by Weslley Patati. Penalty. Unlike Arsenal’s David Raya, De Busser guessed wrong as Le Fee slotted home to spark wild celebrations. Mukiele lifted the scorer high into the air with glee. He was furious moments later when his run into the box was abruptly ended by Mateo Chavez’s bodycheck with no penalty this time. It was backs to the wall late on as Regis Le Bris men clung on to what they had. Dan Ballard and then Reinildo threw their bodies in front of two fierce strikes before Dutch goalie Roefs brilliantly denied Mexx Meerdink. Nilson Angulo could have ended all of the agony late on but somehow had a shot blocked on the line by Elijah Dijkstra with the goal gaping. Fortunately, it did not matter. Sunderland are off and running in Europe. Comment now