Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of Sunderland vs RCD Mallorca. The Black Cats have returned from their pre-season trip to the USA, where they beat San Antonio FC, New Mexico United, and North Carolina FC, and this afternoon's game against La Liga side Mallorca marks their first and only home friendly of the summer.
Tony Mowbray has added two new recruits to the ranks this week, with former Blackburn Rovers midfielder Bradley Dack and Spanish U17 striker Eliezer Mayenda becoming the club's fifth and sixth summer signings, and there is a chance that either or both could feature this afternoon.
After today's game, the Black Cats wrap up their pre-season preparations on Tuesday night when they make the short trip to face National League Hartlepool United at Victoria Park, and then the real action gets under way next weekend when Sunderland kick off their Championship campaign at home to newly-promoted Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light.
Mowbray is likely to name a strong line-up against Mallorca, who will represent the toughest test of Sunderland's pre-season programme as the Black Cats defend their 100 percent record, having won all five of their friendlies so far. James Hunter is at the Stadium of Light to bring you all the latest as it happens, plus post-match reaction and ratings.
Tony Mowbray reacts
Sunderland's latest signing will be sidelined for months after picking up an injury in training - and the club is looking to bring in another attacking option.
FT. Sunderland 1-1 RCD Mallorca
And that's that.
Sunderland lose their 100 percent pre-season record, but remain unbeaten with five wins and a draw.
Hemir's early goal put them in the driving seat, but Muriqi levelled for the Spaniards just after half-time.
Mallorca ended up with ten men after Maffeo was sent off for a terrible challenge on O'Nien a couple of minutes from the end.
Next up for Sunderland is their final pre-season game at Hartlepool United on Tuesday night
87mins Red card!
Awful challenge by Maffeo on O'Nien. It leads to a huge brawl, and the referee shows a straight red card to the Mallorca man
47mins Sunderland 1-1 RCD Mallorca. Goal!
Lato's cross from the left and Muriqi at the near post heads Mallorca level
⏱️ And we are back under way
Mallorca kick off the second half, with Sunderland attacking the North Stand
HT. Sunderland 1-0 RCD Mallorca
And that's half-time. Just Hemir's early goal between the sides.
After that explosive opening, it's been pretty tame stuff.
Sunderland have shaded it and Mallorca haven't really laid a glove on the Black Cats.
All very pre-season friendly so far
44mins
Cirkin is down just inside the left corner of the Sunderland box, and in need of some treatment. Looks like he'll be OK to carry on
38mins
Roberts' corner from the right is nodded down at the far post by O'Nien, Ballard tries to apply the finish but Mallorca do just enough to prevent him making a clean contact and the ball is scrambled away
29mins Save!
Sunderland win a free-kick 35 yards out, Clarke takes it but his shot is straight at the keeper and he saves on the goalline
26mins Shot!
Llabres works space for a shot on the left side of the Sunderland box, but he sends his effort over the bar
4mins Sunderland 1-0 RCD Mallorca. GGGGOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!
Clarke takes a short corner to Roberts on the left, Roberts' cross finds Hemir at the far post and he heads home
3mins Save!
Long-range shot from Ekwah deflects off a defender and the keeper gets down to his right to push it away, Hemir's follow-up is blocked behind for a corner
Team news
Two new signings in the starting XI, two more on the bench, and Dennis Cirkin makes his first pre-season appearance.
And here's how Mallorca line up...
Here's the Mallorca side
— Real Mallorca (@RCD_Mallorca) July 29, 2023
The teams are in...
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Cirkin, Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Bellingham, Clarke, Hemir
Subs: Young, Huggins, Batth, Gooch, Ba, Taylor, Bennette, Pritchard, Lihadji, Triantis, Johnson, Dack, Rigg
Afternoon all
Here we are then, back at the Stadium of Light. Just a friendly today, the real action starts here next weekend (after a midweek trip to Hartlepool). Think of this as a taster...
Rule changes for the new season
The EFL has announced rule changes for the coming season designed to increase the amount of time the ball is in play - tackling one of Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray's biggest bugbears. Mowbray complained numerous times last season at the inconsistencies between different referees' approaches to timekeeping, particularly at the Stadium of Light, with some adding significantly more time for stoppages than others which meant that some teams got away with timewasting tactics.
But the EFL says that match officials will be given new directives this season to ensure a more accurate calculation of added time, which should increase the amount of time the ball is in play. Whereas in previous seasons a set nominal amount of time was added for events such as goals and celebrations, substitutions, injuries and treatment, penalties, and for players to leave the field after being sent off, this season referees will add the actual amount of time that those events take.
Nectar Triantis
Nectar Triantis believes Sunderland is a 'great fit' for him - and insists the chance to make a name for himself in England is worth the sacrifice of moving to the other side of the world. Aussie defender Triantis joined the Black Cats this summer from A-League champions Central Coast Mariners, and played his first games for his new club on Sunderland's pre-season tour of the USA.
But long before making the move from Australia to Europe, the 20-year-old says he had followed Sunderland's fortunes on TV and then when he heard of their interest he looked at the club's style of play to make sure it would suit him. "It doesn't really faze me," Triantis said of the long-distance move.
"In football, you have to sacrifice your life and everything that involves when you move from Australia to the other side of the world, but it's a sacrifice I was willing to make and I'm looking forward to it here. Obviously, I watched the Championship and the biggest leagues in the world, so with Sunderland being one of the biggest teams in the league you end up watching them and almost supporting them in a way.
"Then you always have to study the team that has interest in you to see if it is going to be a good fit and suit you. I think it's going to be a great fit for me and I'm really looking forward to it.
"It's a young team but it also helps that off-the-field they are very close and they have all been helping me out, settling me in. And, on the field, you can already see a connection coming together between the players and how they play."
Bradley Dack
Bradley Dack has arrived at Sunderland with 'a point to prove' after being released by Blackburn Rovers this summer. Dack became the Black Cats' fifth summer addition when he joined as a free agent on Thursday, in a move which reunites him with his former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray on Wearside.
The 29-year-old played his best football under Mowbray at Rovers, scoring 18 goals to help the club win promotion from League One and then scoring 15 goals in the Championship the following season, although he also saw two years of his five-year spell there wrecked by two cruciate ligament injuries. Dack made just 13 league starts last season and Rovers opted not to take up the option of extending Dack's contract by another 12 months, with their director of football Gregg Broughton saying the decision was partly financial and partly because they could guarantee the attacking midfielder more gametime next term.
But Blackburn's loss is Sunderland's gain, and Dack is now looking forward to a fresh start. "It feels brilliant to be here," he told the club's official website.
"It's been a bit of a drawn-out process, we've been in dialogue for a few weeks, but I'm really happy to finally get it done and come and play for a massive football club. It's easy to see what drew me to the club - the size of it, the training ground, I knew a few people here from my previous club and they only said unbelievable things about the place.
"It worked for me at this time in my career and I like to think that it works for the club as well. The conversations we have had over the last six weeks have all been positive, it's just taken a little bit of time to work a few kinks out.
"But I'm buzzing we have finally got there in the end and I can't wait to put on the shirt."
And of his time at Blackburn he added: "I think I had three really good years at the football club and then two where I got a couple of bad injuries. I managed to come back from them and do OK but I still feel like I have a point to prove, especially to that club, and I've got the perfect platform to do it here and I know where this club wants to be - and that's where I want to be, so let's hope we can take it forward."
