Regis Le Bris‘s Sunderland side came from behind to beat Portuguese second tier outfit Torreense 2-1 in the Europa League on Thursday night.
A phenomenal first-half goal from opposition centre-back Volnei gave the hosts an unlikely lead, before second-half goals from Jules Ahoka and Noah Sadiki secured all three points for the away team.
With a trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League coming up on Sunday, the French head coach opted to rotate his squad and gave several players a chance to impress on the night.
Academy graduate Timur Tuterov made his full first-team debut as the starting centre-forward, after spending last season on loan at Exeter in League One, and endured a frustrating 90 minutes.
Why Tuterov was left frustrated for Sunderland
The Ukraine U21 international had a huge opportunity to impress and thought that he had taken his chance when he found the net from close range in the 24th minute, heading in at the far post.
Unfortunately, after a VAR review, Omar Alderete was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up to the goal, which meant that the referee had to disallow it.
Tuterov still deserves credit for being in the right place at the right time and having the composure to finish the chance, but it was disallowed for reasons beyond his control.
|
Vs Torreense |
Timur Tuterov |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Touches |
20 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Passes made |
8/12 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
1/2 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2/3 |
That goal being disallowed was doubly frustrating for the Ukrainian striker because he had very little to work with for the remainder of the match, despite winning three of his five duels, as he only had one shot in 90 minutes of play.
It was the likes of Sadiki and Ahoka, advancing from midfield positions, who got on the end of crosses, whilst the striker did not get the service that he needed from the wide areas, which surely left him fuming on the night.
Le Bris must drop 3/10 Sunderland forward
One of the reasons why the academy graduate was left frustrated was because some of his teammates did not do enough to get him involved in the match.
Nilson Angulo was one of those players, as he struggled badly throughout the evening, and Le Bris must finally drop the Ecuador international from the starting line-up ahead of the clash with Bournemouth.
The 23-year-old forward was selected to play on the right side of the attack, despite usually playing on the left flank, and did not do enough to justify his inclusion in almost an hour on the pitch.
Trai Hume and Angulo both failed to make an impact at the top end of the pitch with the ball at their feet in the first-half, in particular, as they saw plenty of the ball and did little with it.
The former Anderlecht winger took 31 touches of the ball against Torreense and came off the pitch with zero key passes, zero completed dribbles, and only one accurate cross.
Whilst Tuterov was desperate for service into the box, and showed that he could finish chances with his disallowed goal, Angulo kept things safe and did not take enough risks to create chances for the striker.
|
Sunderland player ratings vs Torreense |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Rating |
|
Robin Roefs |
5 |
|
Trai Hume |
5 |
|
Luke O’Nien |
5 |
|
Omar Alderete |
4 |
|
Dayann Methalie |
6 |
|
Noah Sadiki |
8 |
|
Jule Ahoka |
8 |
|
Nilson Angulo |
3 |
|
Chris Rigg |
4 |
|
Malick Fofana |
4 |
|
Timur Tuterov |
5 |
A 3/10 player rating for the £17.5m-rated attacker feels fair given his complete lack of impact and desire to make things happen in front of goal, whilst also taking into account the huge chance that he missed with his head.
Chris Rigg delivered a fantastic cross to the middle of the box and the winger had all the time in the world to score an unchallenged header, but he was unable to guide his effort past the goalkeeper.
Tuterov must have been left fuming by the lack of service provided by Angulo, who had plenty of opportunities to deliver crosses into the box and opted against it.
The Ecuadorian talent produced an assist for Brian Brobbey against Manchester City in the Premier League before the break, but he has failed to create a single chance in the last two games.
Le Bris must drop the underperforming flop from the starting line-up to provide other players with an opportunity to play, because he has not done enough against Torreense or Brighton to justify his continued inclusion.
