Sunderland's Europa League away draw ended in a draw, which Lebrides described as an essential lesson for the development of young players.

In a Europa League group stage match that just concluded, Sunderland drew 1-1 away against Polish powerhouse Lech Poznań.

In a post-match interview, Sunderland manager Regis Lebrs stated that the game was very open and fully acknowledged the strength of their opponents: "The pace of the game was very open. We started very well."

“We had anticipated their home atmosphere and playing style; they are a very good team. After we scored the first goal, they showed their ability to hold their own and organize attacks under pressure, penetrating our defense when it was a little loose and creating threats as well.”

Speaking about missing a good chance to extend the lead and the subsequent goal conceded, Lebrides analyzed: "After that, we created our own chances, and I think we deserved to score a second goal, but we couldn't take it. In a game like this away against a good team, the momentum can easily shift quickly, and things certainly went in that direction."

Despite failing to secure all three points, Lebrides still affirmed the team's valuable experience: "It was a precious experience. We fielded seven players under the age of 23 in our starting lineup. For them, it's essential to experience this kind of high-intensity real-world situation against strong opponents, to learn from adversity and challenges, in order to truly improve."

Image source: Internet