Dan Ballard urges Sunderland to harness positives before historic European night at Stadium of Light

Dan Ballard has called on Sunderland to carry the positives from their display against Arsenal into Wednesday’s Europa League meeting with AZ Alkmaar, the club’s first European match in 53 years at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland’s rapid progress under Régis Le Bris earned a place in the league phase after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season, with a memorable win over Chelsea helping secure qualification.

Their campaign will begin just days after a 2-0 home defeat to the champions. The scoreline felt harsh, with Sunderland troubling Mikel Arteta’s side and carving out several chances.

After the break, Enzo Le Fée saw a penalty saved by David Raya, and two minutes later Bruno Guimarães put Arsenal ahead. Sunderland kept pressing, only for Raya to make further key stops, before Bukayo Saka converted a late penalty following Reinildo’s dismissal.

Ballard said they would take encouragement from the performance and backed the crowd to drive them on again, adding that players and fans alike had been looking forward to this night since beating Chelsea. He stressed they would not dwell on the result and hoped to turn the display into a win on Wednesday.

Reflecting on Arsenal, he said he was extremely disappointed with the outcome, felt Sunderland pushed them all the way and that small margins proved costly. He added they believed they could win and showed plenty of quality from the first minute.

Source: Sunderland Echo

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