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Sadiki on Torreense: ‘They showed what it means to play in the Europa League’
Sadiki on Torreense: ‘They showed what it means to play in the Europa League’
LEIRIA, PORTUGAL - OCTOBER 15: Noah Sadiki of Sunderland speaks to the media in the mixed zone after the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between SCU Torreense and Sunderland AFC at Estádio Municipal de Leiria on October 15, 2026 in Leiria, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Noah Sadiki spoke about a 2-1 victory for Sunderland against Torreense.

Torreense's unlikely European run

The Portuguese outfit are in the second division of domestic football in their country, and they qualified for the tournament through a 2-1 triumph over Sporting in the Taça de Portugal final.

They are the first team to be in the league phase of the reformatted competition while being outside of the top tier in their nation, but they backed up a 2-1 win over Lillestrøm with the first goal in Leiria.

Sadiki's late winner in Leiria

Jules Ahoka equalised with a well-placed header from a Nordi Mukiele delivery, scoring his first goal for his new side as a summer signing from Royal Antwerp.

Then, as second-half stoppage time was ticking over, Enzo La Fee dinked the ball to Granit Xhaka, whose layoff was thumped into the back of the net by Sadiki. His first goal for the club in 43 appearances had wrapped up three points.

The Black Cats continued their 100% winning record, having beaten AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the Europa League last month. Ending a three league game losing streak, the team got the result they wanted.

‘We showed great mentality today’

"[Torreense] made it difficult for us, even though people considered us favourites before the game.

“I'm really happy for them because they showed what it means to play in the Europa League, even though they're in the second division. You don't have to be scared of the big teams. So, they played really well, but unfortunately for them, we won.

"Granit Xhaka told me to shoot. I didn't think twice. I was waiting for it. I'm really happy.

“I'm really happy for the team because we showed great mentality today. We were down but we came back. That's what we needed to do, and now we focus on the next game."

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