The Torreense fairytale story seemed set for another amazing chapter in their borrowed home of the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria this afternoon.
The Portuguese second-tier side came within a whisker of holding Premier League club Sunderland and their multi-million-pound squad to a draw, but ended up heartbroken by a 93rd-minute winner scored by Noah Sadiki.
Despite being outplayed for practically the whole game (possession 61% v 39%, shot count 22 v 3, and expected goals 1.89 v 0.06 in the English club’s favour) Volnei Feltes gave Torreense a shock first-half lead with a sensational long-range strike in the 37th minute.
The hosts held onto their lead for half an hour, before incessant Sunderland pressure eventually paid off when Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder Jules Ahoka headed in the equaliser.
Torreense regrouped and held on until stoppage time, when another Congolese midfielder Sadiki powered in a tremendous right-foot volley to send the large contingent of travelling Sunderland fans wild with delight.
Despite the crushing nature of the defeat, Torreense can be proud of the way they have performed in the Europa League this season, as the only club in the three UEFA competitions from outside the top flight of their respective country.
One win, one loss and two strong showings from their first two Europa League matches reflects well on the work of coach Luís Tralhão, who will now prepare his team for a trip to Hungary next week to take on Ferencvaros.
