Sunderland turned their attention back to the Europa League when they welcomed Dinamo Zagreb to the Stadium of Light for their fourth league-phase fixture.

Régis Le Bris’ side went into the game following a 3-1 defeat at Coventry City, which left them bottom of the Premier League with five points from nine matches. Their league record stood at one win, two draws and six defeats. Their European campaign had offered more encouragement. Sunderland were ninth in the Europa League standings with seven points, having beaten AZ and Torreense before drawing 1-1 away at Lech Poznań.

Dinamo arrived in 18th place with four points from their opening three European fixtures, recording one win, one draw and one defeat. The clubs had never previously met in a competitive fixture. Here, we picked out some of the moments you might have missed before, during and after the game:

Le Bris rings the changes

Régis Le Bris made six changes to the Sunderland side beaten at Coventry City, with Jules Ahoka and Malick Fofana among those handed starts. Dayann Méthalie lined up at left-back, Wilson Isidor led the attack, and Chris Rigg was given an opportunity through the middle as the head coach sought a response to Saturday’s disappointing performance.

Supporters unite for tribute

Before kick-off, Sunderland and Dinamo Zagreb supporters joined together to pay their respects to Jesús de Miguel Alameda. The Tenerife forward’s death was marked at the Stadium of Light, with both sets of fans putting their allegiances aside for a poignant tribute before the European fixture began.

Isidor scare before opening goal

There was concern for Isidor around the 20-minute mark when the striker went down after taking a powerful ball to the midriff. It was not immediately obvious what had happened, prompting worried looks among the home supporters, but the Frenchman was able to continue after spending around a minute on the turf.

Sunderland’s relief was short-lived. Shortly afterwards, Dinamo took the lead when a corner glanced off Granit Xhaka’s head and into the path of Luka Stojković, who finished to put the visitors ahead. It was another costly moment of uncertainty from a Sunderland defence already struggling for confidence.

Meunier’s vital intervention

Thomas Meunier prevented Sunderland from falling further behind almost immediately after the restart. Mislav Oršić threatened to double Dinamo’s advantage, but the Belgian defender was in position to clear his effort off the line and spare the hosts an even more damaging spell.

Meunier then almost provided an unlikely response at the other end. With 29 minutes on the clock, his cross bounced awkwardly and struck the post, offering Sunderland a brief moment of encouragement during an increasingly uncomfortable first half.

Captains collide

Xhaka needed treatment following a challenge with Dinamo captain Josip Mišić in the middle of the pitch around the 27-minute mark. The pair appeared to clash knee-to-knee, leaving both players on the ground for a lengthy period while they were assessed.

Sunderland’s captain was booked for the tackle and looked uncomfortable when he eventually got back to his feet. He continued, but his limp provided another concern for Le Bris during a half in which very little was going Sunderland’s way.

Half-time boos in front of Louis-Dreyfus

Sunderland were booed off at half-time after going into the interval 2-0 down, with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus watching from the stands. Just days after reports of the club’s continued backing for Le Bris, the reaction underlined the growing frustration among supporters.

The head coach responded with a quadruple substitution. Reinildo, Trai Hume, Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fée replaced Méthalie, Meunier, Ahoka and Rigg, making clear that Le Bris felt substantial changes in personnel were required.

Isidor denied by offside decision

Sunderland thought they had found a route back into the game when Isidor headed home Xhaka’s cross. The celebrations were cut short, however, with the effort ruled out for offside following a VAR check, leaving the hosts still searching for a breakthrough.

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There was another brief injury concern in the 52nd minute when Nilson Angulo took a shot to the head. He was able to continue, allowing Sunderland to avoid another enforced change after their four substitutions at the interval.

Warning to visiting supporters

A stadium announcement was made around the 55-minute mark asking visiting supporters not to throw objects down towards Sunderland fans below. The warning came over the public-address system while play continued, drawing attention to an issue away from the action on the pitch.

Woodwork frustration and final change

Sunderland showed some improvement after the interval but endured further frustration when Reinildo struck the post and Kevin Danso hit the crossbar. Those moments offered the home crowd something to respond to, although the atmosphere remained subdued for long spells.

Le Bris used his fifth and final substitution in the 65th minute, introducing Brian Brobbey in place of Isidor. Despite changing almost half his outfield side after falling two goals behind, there was no obvious switch in formation, with the head coach looking to different players to make the existing approach work. Although the Black Cats huffed and puffed, they couldn’t pull one back and were booed off the pitch following the 2-0 defeat.