Levski's Sole English Opponent in Europa League Secures First Premier League Win

Sunderland, drawn as one of Bulgarian giants Levski's opponents in the Europa League, secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham in their second Premier League match. The lone goal came from substitute Wilson Isidor. This marked the Black Cats' first win of the season, following a disappointing campaign opener with an away loss to newly promoted Ipswich a week prior. It also wasn't a great start to Álvaro Arbeloa's career in English football, as the former Real Madrid coach recorded his second consecutive defeat on the island.

The two teams played out a rather uninspiring encounter, offering little excitement for the fans. The first half saw more battling than brilliance, with only a few half-chances created. In fact, the most interesting moments of the match unfolded within a few minutes, thanks to the introduction of Isidor shortly before. First, Sunderland orchestrated an excellent counter-attack at pace in the 71st minute, with a cross from the left finding Isidor, who, from a prime position, could only hit the left post. The Haitian international redeemed himself for the unfortunate miss just four minutes later when a similar situation unfolded, and this time Isidor converted for the game's only goal. The hosts had a good opportunity to double their lead in the 93rd minute when another substitute, Chris Rigg, received a pass behind the defense but shot straight at Bernd Leno.

This victory secured Sunderland their first three points of the season in their opening home league fixture.