Le Bris calls for Sunderland unity: "We will fight until the end"

Regis Le Bris admitted Sunderland are suffering from a lack of confidence, but insisted after the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb that the club and its supporters must "stay together and fight until the end".

Unbeaten in their first three UEFA Europa League matches (2W, 1D), Sunderland suffered their first European defeat of the season as they lost 2-0 to Dinamo Zagreb.

Luka Stojkovic opened the scoring and then provided the assist for Dion Beljo's second goal shortly before half-time. Wilson Isidor had a goal disallowed early in the second half and, with two shots coming back off the woodwork, the English side were unable to find the goal they were searching for and left the pitch without a point.

With Sunderland having started the Premier League season in disappointing fashion and sitting bottom of the table, the pressure on French head coach Le Bris continues to mount. The experienced coach admitted that the poor run of form has shaken the players' confidence not only in the league but in every competition.

Asked whether the team were suffering from a loss of confidence, Le Bris said: "Probably, yes. We have good players, we have a good team. I believe this squad has huge potential, we showed that last season. But you also have to go through difficult periods like this. Last season it happened a little later, when we had reached 30-35 points. Now the circumstances are different. This will define who we are as a team, as a club, as supporters and as a coaching staff; we will stay together and we will fight until the end."

Alarmed by the worrying run of form, Sunderland supporters booed the team at the Stadium of Light both at half-time and at the final whistle.

Having allowed their opponents just one off-target shot in the second half while producing 12 attempts on goal, the English side paid a heavy price for the goals they conceded in the first half.

Reflecting on the match, Le Bris said:

"We are going through a difficult period. We played two different halves. The first half was very difficult with our young players. Managing this period is not easy and, although they are doing their best, the burden on them is very heavy at the moment. Changing the mood is not easy. I appreciated the reaction in the second half; there was more quality and experience on the pitch. We were unlucky because we created plenty of chances, but it was not enough. When things are going badly, it is hard to turn the tide. We are still fighting, my players tried until the last moment to get a different result. We know the most important match of this week is the one against Chelsea at the weekend. I am pleased with the energy and competitiveness shown until the end. But we now need more quality; to be honest, we are far from that quality at the moment."