Cats’ defence is still creaky in Auld Reekie
HIBS FIGHT BACK FROM TWO GOALS DOWN
WAHBI Khazri and Jeremain Lens were on target as Sunderland continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-2 draw at Hibernian.
Khazri gave Simon Grayson’s side the lead just before half-time, with wantaway Dutch international Lens – who is keen on a return to Turkey after spending last season on loan at Fenerbahce – then finding the net early in the second period.
The Black Cats also hit the woodwork in each half, with Khazri denied by the crossbar inside the first five minutes and Lee Cattermole hitting the post in the second half.
But Sunderland paid the price for sloppy defending as Scottish Premier League side Hibs hit back with two goals in the space of four minutes, with Martin Boyle reducing the arrears and then Simon Murray producing the equaliser.
And Sunderland came under heavy pressure towards the end with Adam Matthews needing to make a goalsaving challenge, while a shot from Oli Shaw hit both bar and post with five minutes remaining.
But the game, which was organised as a testimonial for long-serving Hibs defender Lewis Stevenson, ended honours even.
Grayson had limited options for Sunderland’s first friendly at Bury on Friday, but with the likes of Lens, John O’Shea, Didier Ndong, Elliot Embleton and loan signing Brendan Galloway having linked up with the squad, he had more players to pick from and named a different XI in each half at Easter Road.
Galloway made his debut and acquitted himself well at left-back in the second half.
Among the players who had impressed in the second period at Bury were Josh Maja – who scored twice against the Shakers – and Khazri, and both played from the start against Hibs.
And it was those two players who took centre-stage inside the first five minutes when Sunderland were inches away from taking the lead.
Maja was brought down a yard outside the penalty area in a central position, and Khazri’s set-piece clipped the wall, wrongfooting the keeper, only to see the ball hit the crossbar and bounce away to safety.
Soon after, Hibs’ Dylan McGeouch drove a shot just wide of the lefthand post, and John McGinn fired a long-range shot straight at Vito Mannone.
But the first real save of the match came from Hibs’ Ofir Marciano just before the half-hour when he had to get down smartly to keep out a shot from Maja.
Sunderland made the breakthrough a couple of minutes before the break when a crossfield pass eluded Hibs right-back David Gray which allowed Billy Jones to get in behind him, and his first-time cross found Khazri unmarked eight yards out to volley home.
Hibs best chance of the first period came in injury time, but Boyle’s powerful effort from long-range was pushed away by Mannone diving to his right. Sunderland’s complete change at half-time saw Galloway take his bow, while O’Shea, Ndong, and Lens were also given their first pre-season outings.
Lens doubled Sunderland’s lead 10 minutes after the restart, latching on to Rees Greenwood’s backheel flick inside the box to the right of
goal and firing a low shot across the keeper into the bottom left-hand corner.
Five minutes later, Sunderland hit the woodwork for the second time in the match, this time with Cattermole crashing a shot off the post.
But Hibs pulled a goal back 20 minutes from time when a quick free-kick released Boyle down the left and he got the better of Matthews before squeezing his finish between Mika and the near post from a tight angle. And four minutes later, the home side levelled through Simon Murray, who slid home from six yards out after Gray had played the ball across the face of goal from inside the area on the right. Inside the final 10 minutes, Matthews then made a brilliant goalsaving challenge to deny Brian Graham a tapin.
Five minutes from the end, Graham knocked the ball down into the path of Shaw but his fierce volley hit the underside of the crossbar, then the left-hand post, before bouncing clear.
HIBERNIAN: Marciano, Gray (Martin 77), McGregor, Fontaine (Pennant 60), Stevenson (Crane 85), McGeouch (Graham 60), Bartley (F Murray 77), Boyle, McGinn, Swanson (Porteous 60), S Murray (Shaw 77). Subs not used: Laidlaw SUNDERLAND (first half): Mannone, Love, Kone, Djilobodji, Jones, Embleton, Gibson, Rodwell, Khazri, Honeyman, Maja SUNDERLAND (second half): Mika, Matthews, O’Shea, Beadling, Galloway, E Robson, Cattermole, Ndong, Greenwood, Gooch, Lens REFEREE: Gavin Duncan