Enzo Le Fée revealed he was feeling the pressure before stepping up to take the winning penalty as Sunderland secured a historic 1-0 Europa League victory against AZ Alkmaar.

The Black Cats made their long-awaited return to European competition for the first time since November 7, 1973, celebrating the occasion with a narrow victory over the Dutch side. AZ, meanwhile, have now gone nine consecutive away matches without a win in the competition.

With neither side able to break the deadlock at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland were awarded a penalty after Weslley Patati brought down Le Fée inside the AZ penalty area with a late challenge.

Despite admitting to feeling nervous, Le Fée kept his composure from 12 yards and confidently converted the spot-kick to secure all three points for Sunderland.

It was a welcome response from the French midfielder, who had missed an important penalty in Sunderland’s Premier League loss to Arsenal just four days earlier.

The 26-year-old admitted he felt nervous when he stood face-to-face with AZ goalkeeper Jari De Busser, but was thrilled to find the net and help Sunderland begin their European campaign with a victory.

“It was special, like every penalty, I would say. I had the same situation last year when I missed a penalty and then had the chance to react in the following game, so it was similar,” Le Fée told reporters in the mixed zone.

“To be honest, it was a difficult moment for me after the penalty I missed against Arsenal because we could have won the game if I had scored. We were really good in that match, and I just wanted to react quickly.

“I had the opportunity to take another penalty and I could feel that all my teammates trusted me to score. I was a bit nervous, but I was confident, so I’m really happy.”

Wednesday’s match marked Sunderland’s fifth outing in European competition, with their previous four coming in the 1973-74 Cup Winners’ Cup. Their run that season ended in the Round of 16, where they were knocked out by Sporting CP.

The passionate atmosphere around Wearside before kick-off helped inspire the Black Cats, and Le Fée said the supporters fully deserved the memorable victory. However, he also stressed that Sunderland’s European journey will present plenty of challenges.

“When we arrived at the stadium, all the roads were busy, and even when we walked out onto the pitch, it was just amazing,” he said.

“I think all the players are really happy to give this to the fans because they deserve it. After a difficult period for them, to return to the Europa League and get three points in the first home game is just special and amazing.

“Of course, everyone knows it will be tough because there are no easy games in the Europa League. We will have to fight in every game, just like we did against AZ. We also have away games coming up, and they will be difficult. I think all the players are ready to be competitive in this competition.

“We worked really hard last year to qualify, and now that we are here, we just have to enjoy it because it is important to enjoy these moments. Of course, we also have our part to play in this competition.”

Sunderland will aim to carry the momentum from their historic European victory into their next Europa League fixture against Torreense on October 15.

The Liga Portugal 2 outfit are set to become the 24th different Portuguese club to feature in a major European competition and the first since Rio Ave made their debut in the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League.

Before making the trip to Portugal, however, Regis Le Bris’ side have two Premier League tests to navigate, with Manchester City and Brighton awaiting them.