Stojkovic Stuns the Stadium of Light as Dinamo Zagreb Beat Sunderland 2-0

The Stadium of Light had barely settled into its seat when Dinamo Zagreb showed Sunderland exactly how a European away night is supposed to be played. Two first-half goals, both touched by the same boot, settled this Europa League tie before the break, and for all Sunderland's second-half huffing, the damage was done in 17 ruthless minutes. Luka Stojkovic was the man at the heart of it. In the 22nd minute a Sunderland corner was only half cleared, Granit Xhaka's attempted header dropping kindly on the edge of the penalty area. Stojkovic took it on his chest, let it sit for a heartbeat, and then met it with a volley that flew past Robin Roefs before the goalkeeper had properly set himself. It was the sort of strike that makes a stadium go quiet, and the home crowd's mood only darkened from there. Dinamo had already warned Sunderland once. Minutes earlier Stojkovic had picked out Dion Drena Beljo with a clipped pass, and only Xhaka's last-ditch block had kept the visitors out. This time there was no rescue. A corner, a loose ball, a volley, and the game had its opening goal. The Croatian champions, playing with the calm of a side that knew exactly what it had come for, doubled their lead six minutes before half-time. Stojkovic turned provider, lifting a delicate ball over the top for Beljo, who had timed his run to perfection and finished with a deft lift over the advancing Roefs. Two goals, one creator, and a 2-0 lead that felt entirely deserved. Sunderland had arrived at this matchday-four fixture with their European record still intact, but their domestic form has been wretched, and the first half here carried all the symptoms Régis Le Bris had warned about before kick-off. The head coach had said his side had been too exposed and too leaky at the back, and his players spent 45 minutes proving him right. Poor marking at the corner for the first goal, defenders all at sea for the second — the angry reaction from the home stands at the whistle told its own story. The second half brought a flicker of hope and then the familiar frustration. Less than two minutes after the restart Wilson Isidor rose highest to head home Xhaka's cross, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside. Sunderland kept coming in waves. Reinildo's header was clawed away by the Dinamo goalkeeper, Kevin Danso hooked the rebound against the crossbar, and substitute Brian Brobbey was denied from close range after a clever Xhaka pass. The chances were there, the goal was not, and Dinamo saw out the closing stages with the composure of a team that had done its work early. For Dinamo, it was a night to savour — a first win of the campaign on English soil and, for head coach Ivan Leko, a winning start on the first-team bench. For Sunderland, the inquest starts again. This was their first defeat of the Europa League season, but it arrived in the middle of a torrid run of form, and the pressure on Le Bris, already mounting, will only grow louder after a home defeat as meek as this one.