Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini reflected on a “special” Europa League victory as the club made a winning return to European football after 53 years away.
The winning moment against AZ Alkmaar came in the 66th minute when Enzo le Fee slotted away his penalty after being brought down inside the area.
“It was very special,” Gabbiadini told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily. “My old chairman Bob Murray, who is a good friend of mine, built this stadium for nights like this – and the fans didn’t let him down.
“It is the fans who deserve a lot of plaudits because when we were down in the third tier of English football, and we didn’t really know where we were going for a couple of years while we were down there, they stuck with the club.
“There was regularly 30,000-35,000 people at the Stadium of Light for those third-tier matches, so a historic win is everything their loyalty deserved.
“I may have left some fingernail marks in the desk as it was a bit tense but, on the whole, I do think Sunderland created the most chances and looked the most dangerous around the box.”
Le Fee had a spot-kick saved in a recent Premier League match against Arsenal, but converted his penalty on Wednesday.
Gabbiadini added: “His first touch and his vision is exceptional. He is my favourite player at the club. He has the balance and the poise he needs to play in his position effectively. I do, however, think we need to get him on the ball more often.”
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