Sunderland face surprise Portuguese Cup winners Torreense on the second matchday of the league phase of this season’s Europa League.
Sunderland surpassed all expectations when they secured a seventh place finish in their first season back in the Premier League and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their long and proud history.
But the surprise caused by Regis Le Bris and his new-look squad was arguably surpassed by the side they will hope to beat in their first European away game since 1973. To suggest SCU Torreense were not one of the favourites to lift last season’s Taça de Portugal [Portuguese Cup] would be an understatement given the second tier club have only competed in the Primeira Liga on six occasions in their 109-year history and two seventh placed finishes in the mid-1950s represented their highest ever league position.
SCU Torreense head coach Luis Tralhao.placeholder image
SCU Torreense head coach Luis Tralhao. | Getty Images.
There had been a solitary cup final appearance during that time as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against FC Porto in 1956 - but that all changed during last season as the ‘Azul-grenás’ caused a seismic shock by lower league opposition in Tirsense, Olivierense and Lusitania Lourosa before seeing off top flight side Casa Pia to progress into the quarter-final. Wins against Uniao de Leiria, who will host Thursday’s game with Sunderland, and Fafe set up a final date with an all-conquering Sporting CP side.
Although expected to be swept aside by the league champions, Torreense battled their way to a shock 2-1 win thanks to goals from Kevin Zohi and Cape Verde international Stopira to lift the cup for the first time in their history and earn a first crack at European competition. Their debut in the Europa League proved to be just as memorable as goals from Manuel Pozo and Alejandro Alfaro helped secure a 2-1 win at Norwegian side Lillestrom despite seeing out the final seven minutes of the game with ten men after substitute Nuha Jatta was shown a second yellow card.
The story has understandably captured the attention of the Portuguese media and one outlet has suggested their matchday one win means anything they can secure from the remainder of their league phase campaign is ‘a bonus’.
The Echo’s Europa League coverage is sponsored by Amari Plastics.placeholder image
The Echo’s Europa League coverage is sponsored by Amari Plastics. | Amari Plastics.
Writing for Portuguese daily, A Bola, journalist Eduardo Pedrosa Marques said: “Come what may from this point on, Torreense has firmly secured its place among the notables of international football. For beyond the memorable records of a league promotion, titles in the former II Divisão B and Liga 3, and the epic Portuguese Cup triumph, the Azuis-Grená [Blue and Garnet] crowned their first-ever European match with a victory.
“The schedule suggests that the task facing the squad managed by Luís Tralhão will be anything but easy, given the quality of the upcoming opponents; yet, in all honesty, who would - even now - have the audacity to demand anything specific from Torreense in this season's UEFA Europa League? As the saying goes, anything they get is a bonus. It is, therefore, time for fans of the club from the West region to start planning their schedules so they can travel to Leiria for home matches.”
The Echo’s Europa League coverage is sponsored byAmari Plastics. Covering all of North East England and Cumbria, Amari Plastics launched in 1975 and has built a reputation as the region's leading plastic distributor. During this time, we’ve established strong working relationships with businesses in three main market sectors: sign, display & large format printing, building & construction and industrial & engineering.
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