Sunderland U21 Was Set As Super Star Player Over Derby County Triumph
Nazariy Rusyn was one of five summer signings in action against Derby County U21s at Eppleton.
New signing Nazariy Rusyn played a starring role as Sunderland U21s beat Derby County in Premier League 2 at Eppleton. The deadline day arrival provided the assist for fellow new-boy Adil Aouchiche to open the scoring just after the midway point in the first half, and then won a penalty soon after the half-hour that was tucked away by Ellis Taylor.
Rusyn, who made his first-team debut with a brief cameo as a substitute in Sunday’s defeat against Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light, played 70 minutes for the U21s in front of head coach Tony Mowbray, who will have been impressed with what he saw from the 24-year-old.
Derby pulled a goal back through Dajaune Brown on the hour and could have forced an equaliser when Alex Gibson-Hammond hit the woodwork, but sub Harry Gardiner put the game beyond doubt ten minutes from time.
The victory saw Graeme Murty’s side climb two places to 12th in the table. Sunderland included five summer signings in their starting line-up with Aouchiche, Rusyn, Nectar Triantis, Jenson Seelt, and Luis Hemir, given some much-needed gametime.
Frenchman Aouchiche went close inside the opening five minutes, as he clipped the outside of the right-hand post with a low shot from inside the box. Rusyn then sent a shot into the sidenetting on the left, and Taylor saw a shot deflected behind.
At the other end, Derby’s Ben Radcliffe could not make contact with a flick-on from Brown from a free-kick. But Sunderland were in the ascendancy and they went in front in the 25th minute when Michael Spellman’s throughball released Rusyn and he reached it a split-second before goalkeeper Harry Evans and nudged it wide of him, where Aouchiche arrived to sidefoot into the empty net from 18 yards out.
Six minutes later, Sunderland doubled their lead and again Rusyn was at the heart of things. This time Dutch defender Seelt’s long ball released the Ukrainian and as he burst into the box his heels were clipped by Daniel Cox and referee Ruebyn Ricardo pointed the spot, with Taylor converting.
Cox was also booked for the foul, with only the presence of covering defender Radcliffe sparing him a red card. Rusyn almost added a third goal a couple of minutes later but this time his low shot was blocked by Evans, and the ball rebounded to the grounded keeper rather than to the forward.
In the second half, Derby halved the deficit with a goal out of nothing on the hour. The visitors won the ball in midfield, it was played forward to Brown 25 yards out and he turned and fired beyond Matty Young into the top left-hand corner.
And Derby had chances to level, with the experienced Bradley Johnson blazing over the bar when he should have scored after being set up by Brown, before Gibson-Hammond hit the inside of the right-hand post with the ball rebounding straight into the grateful arms of Young.
But Sunderland killed the game off with ten minutes to go, as substitutes Oliver Bainbridge and Gardiner combined, with the former crossing from the right for the latter to get above his man at the far post and head into the bottom corner.
The Black Cats could have extended their lead still further a couple of minutes later when another sub, Harrison Jones, was played in inside the penalty area but his low shot was kept out by the legs of Evans.
Sunderland U21: Young, Crompton (Bainbridge 19), Seelt, Triantis, Taylor, Burke, Rigg, Spellman, Aouchiche (Jones 70), Rusyn (Chiabi 70), Hemir (Gardiner 70). Subs not used: Cameron
Booked: Triantis, Taylor
Derby County U21: Evans, Moore, Jefflott, Robinson, Radcliffe, Cox, Richards (Fapetu 80), Johnson (Bates 90+3), Brown, Weston (Lindsay 90+3), Gibson-Hammond (Moloney 70). Subs not used: Ridd.
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