Sporting held the lead at the break thanks to De Ronny’s fizzing free-kick that beat Craig Gordon. The Black Cats restored parity after the break when Roy O’Donovan controlled smartly and smashed home following a driving run and cross from Stokes down the left. The major talking point came when Michael Chopra was red carded for a petulant kick-out, which Keane reacted furiously too and resulted in his dismissal to the stands. However, the 10-men won the game with two goals in the final six minutes, firstly through Nosworthy’s powerful header and Stokes’ instinctive turn and shot.

Tags : Pre-season Friendly 2008/2009

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