Regis Le Bris hailed a good night for Sunderland after the Black Cats marked their European return with a 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light.
Wednesday’s Europa League clash was the Black Cats’ first in Europe in 53 years and following an impressive first half, Enzo Le Fee found the opener.
The midfielder’s 66th-minute penalty proved to be the difference to kick off Sunderland’s campaign with three points.
Le Bris said: “They are a good team, I think we started well.
“The first half we imposed ideas. They were mobile, especially in the high press but we imposed this press progressively, created chances as well – crosses, shots, second balls and so on.
“Didn’t score in the first half, so in the second half we scored and then the game was totally open after that. They created chances because they are really good on the ball.
“They played with freedom, took more risks and we had our chances in the second half. Finally it’s three points.
“I think it’s important we showed up to win. It was an important night for us, for the club, for the fans and at the end it’s a good win.”
Asked where Wednesday’s match places amongst other special occasions Le Bris added: “It’s a good night so it’s hard to rank.
“I will say we have the game against Coventry two years ago was really good, against Newcastle for the comeback of the derby. So this one is really good as well.”
Enzo Le Fee was at the heart of Sunderland’s performance, with the influential midfielder enjoying the best of their chances in the first half before scoring.
Le Bris hailed Le Fee’s resilience to step up to spot and score after his penalty against Arsenal on Saturday was saved.
“We trust him, he’s a good player. You can make mistakes because it’s the game,” Le Bris said.
“If you step up you can succeed, you can fail, it’s possible, but the quality of a player is to react, to stay resilient, to show up again and Enzo is this kind of player.
“He’s a great player. Even if he struggled a bit at the beginning of the game it shows you are always just on the edge.
“When he’s in a good place and I think he is – he still has room for improvement – he’s a fantastic player. He can link the play, he can create, score, in defence really well with the squad as well.”
AZ Alkmaar boss Leeroy Echteld believes his side had a “big chance to win” had they not conceded the penalty.
He said: “For us, it’s a very good experience to play in these kind of circumstances. But I’m also very happy about my team because they were not so much impressed at the end.
“We can play, we have very young players but they can play against a very mature team like Sunderland with good players and support of the crowd.
“It makes me most proud that we show we can play. If we don’t concede the penalty we have a big chance to win this game.”
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