Pre-season 2010: Munster XI 1-2 Sunderland-goal.com

Pre-season 2010: Munster XI 1-2 Sunderland-goal.com

Munster might be a name more associated with heroic feats on the rugby union field, but the province's footballers certainly did their best to make Premier League visitors Sunderland uncomfortable at Thomond Park. Mackems boss Steve Bruce played two different teams in each half, but his laid-back approach to the game was not adopted by the hosts, who went into the lead on 12 minutes thanks to John Tierney. The Irishmen had almost gone ahead in just the second minute of the game, with John Sullivan dragging a shot wide. But it was Tierney who put the hosts into the lead with a left-footed shot into the corner of Simon Mignolet's net after being set up by Garbhan Coughlan. Mignolet also tipped over a 25th minute shot from Stephen O'Flynn, as the Black Cats struggled to impose themselves on the hosts. Bruce sent out another side in the second half, one that was made up of half of his signings, whereas the first half side had included only Mignolet as a player brought to the club by Bruce. Steed Malbranque played a prominent role as Sunderland at last began to look like a Premier League side, creating as many chances in the first five minutes after the interval as they had in the entirety of the first half. Malbranque it was who created the visitors' equaliser on 75 minutes, driving down the right flank to cross for Martyn Waghorn, whose shot found the net. The Mackems took the lead on 77 minutes, Waghorn striking from a free-kick from outside the penalty area, beating the wall and a leaden-footed goalkeeper with his left foot. Waghorn was forced off on 85 minutes with a twisted knee after almost sealing a hat-trick. The injury was not a serious one though. Sunderland: Mignolet (Carson, 46), Tainio (Bardsley, 46), McCartney (Liddle, 46), Colback (Cattermole, 46) Ferdinand (Kilgallon, 46), Nosworthy (Turner, 46), Healy (Henderson, 46), Reid (Richardson, 46), Jones (Campbell, 46), Noble (Waghorn, 46), Murphy (Malbranque, 46)