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Sunderland loanee Nazariy Rusyn was on the scoresheet this weekend
Sunderland loanee Nazariy Rusyn scored his first goal for new club Arka Gdynia over the weekend, but could do nothing to prevent his side from suffering a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Polish top flight leaders Gornik Zabrze.
The Ukrainian forward joined the Black Cats in 2023 from Zorya Lugansk in his home country, but endured a difficult stint in England, during which he registered two goals in 32 outings.
As a consequence, Rusyn fell down the pecking order on Wearside, and was eventually shipped out on loan to Croatian outfit Hajduk Split in January. Another relatively dry spell followed, with just one assist across 17 outings, and following his return to the Stadium of Light this summer, the 27-year-old was promptly packed off for another loan stint, this time in Poland.
Prior to Sunday’s clash with Gornik Zabrze, Rusyn had failed to find the back of the net in any of his first six outings for Arka Gdynia, but shortly after half time, with his side 1-0 down, he capitalised on a lax touch from the opposition goalkeeper to swoop in and bundle home an equaliser.
Rusyn’s joy would be short-lived, however, with he and his teammates falling behind again just four minutes later, before leaking another three goals to end the contest on the wrong end of a 5-1 drubbing. The result leaves Arka Gydnia just one spot above the relegation zone in the Ekstraklasa table, five points clear of safety - albeit with two of the three sides beneath them still to play games in hand.
The Sunderland man wasn’t the only Black Cat to mark a notable milestone in his loan adventure over the weekend, though. Over in Portugal, young striker Luis Hemir finally made his long-awaited debut for Moreirense, coming off the bench for a 24-minute cameo and almost scoring a debut goal in a 2-0 victory over Arouca. Like Rusyn, Hemir struggled to make an impact during his time in the first team at Sunderland, drawing a blank in each of his 24 competitive senior outings.
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What was said about the decision to allow Nazariy Rusyn to leave Sunderland on loan?
Speaking about the decision to allow Rusyn to leave Sunderland on loan in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “At this stage of his career, it’s vitally important for Naz to be playing games.
"We have worked hard to identify the right opportunity for him this season, and I know he’s looking forward to the challenges ahead. He naturally departs with our best wishes, and we wish him well at Arka.”
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