Sunderland 0 Roma 2: Story of the day as Alex Neil's side are beaten in pre-season friendly
and live on Freeview channel 276
After a goalless first half, substitutes Felix Afena-Gyan and Nicolo Zaniolo were on target for the Italian side after the break.
Sunderland will now prepare to return to Wearside before travelling to Dundee United for their next pre-season fixture on Saturday.
Here’s how the game played out.
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LIVE: Sunderland vs Roma
Key Events
- Sunderland fall to 2-0 defeat to AS Roma in Albufeira
- SAFC XI: Patterson; Gooch, Winchester, Batth, Cirkin; O’Nien, Matete; Dajaku, Embleton, Diamond; Clarke
- Subs: Hume, Kelly, Johnson, Ballard, Evans, Roberts, Neil, Carney, Pritchard, Spellman, Taylor, Sohna, Richardson
- Substitutes Afena-Gyan and Zaniolo with the second-half goals for Jose Mourinho’s side.
That ball over the top from Roma almost catches Sunderland out again.
Shomurodov gathers but the touch isn’t quite good enough, and so Patterson can gather.
Good defending
Roma spring Perez free in the channel but Danny Batth does really well to read the danger and made a sliding challenge.
Nice play
Five mins gone - a nice move sees Sunderland spring Gooch clear on the overlap but his cross is easily gathered by Svilvar in the Roma game.
Promising
Sunderland seeing most of the ball early on, they look tidy and are pressing well.
Roma almost had some joy with early balls over the top, but no chances yet.
Kick off!
Bright start from Sunderland.
It’s a flat back four - with Carl Winchester alongside Danny Batth in the heart of defence.
Leon Dajaku leading the line - Diamond wide right, Clarke wide left.
Almost time!
Sunderland have just headed off the pitch while the AS Roma players go through the last of their shooting practice.
Good crowd in as well, should be a cracker.
Your Roma XI
You wouldn’t say they’re full strength, with the lokes of Lorenzo Pelligrini, Tammy Abraham and Nicolo Zaniolo not starting. We may well see them later on, though.
A debut for former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic.
While we wait for kick off...
You can catch up with our interview with Elliot Embleton earlier this week.
He walked us through that day at Wembley, and the season ahead....
Bailey Wright update
I don't think so, he was one of the last back from international duty so has mostly been doing fitness work on his own out here.
— Phil Smith (@Phil__Smith) July 13, 2022