ANALYSIS: Sunderland 1 AZ Alkmaar 0 – What it meant to see Sunderland back in Europe
17.09.26, 11:32 Updated 17.09.26, 11:35 7 Minute Read
Keith Chapman
Sunderland against AZ Alkmaar was undoubtedly one of those nights for me because, after 53 years of waiting, and after everything this football club and its supporters have been through over the past 10 years or so, I finally got to watch Sunderland play European football.
Even now, having had a little time to let it all sink in, I still find it difficult to describe what that actually meant without getting emotional.
The whole day felt different from the start, because there was a sense that this was not just another Sunderland midweek game.
It was something that had been building for years and perhaps even decades, and as the hours passed and the thought of walking into the Stadium of Light for a Europa League game became more real, there was a genuine excitement that I've not felt around a football match for a very long time.
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Keith Chapman contributed to Sunderland's matchday programme from 2001-2016. Season ticket holder and supporter for over 40 years, Keith was one of the fans in one of the fleet of taxis home from Bristol Airport organised by Niall Quinn when he was Chairman of SAFC! Has also worked as a Programme Editor for Non-League, EFL and Premier League clubs since 2014.