Sunderland surprisingly won the most expensive match on the planet

(Dan Tri) - Sunderland made a spectacular comeback to win the most expensive match in football history and earn a place in the Premier League next season.

Nineteen-year-old substitute Tom Watson scored a 95th-minute winner to give Sunderland a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final on May 24 – a match worth an estimated £200 million ($270.8 million) to the winners.

Remarkably, Sunderland scored their second goal with just their third shot on target in the game at Wembley. The North East side's first came in the 76th minute, when Eliezer Mayenda surprisingly equalised after Tyrese Campbell had given Sheffield United a first-half lead.

Watson's perfect finish from outside the box brought an incredible season to an end for Sunderland.

Watson scored for Sunderland in stoppage time (Photo: Getty).

"I can't really put it into words. It's unbelievable. We'll be playing each other again next year in the Premier League. I've been thinking about the play-off final for weeks. I thought it was done and I couldn't have imagined it could have gone any better," Watson said after the match. It was also Watson's last game for Sunderland, who will join Brighton in the summer.

"I got close, saw a little space so I decided to finish the ball into the corner," Watson added about the goal.

Regis Le Bris's side had lost five straight games before the play-offs and needed an extra-time winner in the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Coventry to reach the final. The Black Cats finished fourth in the table, 14 points behind third-placed Sheffield United, but are now officially back in the Premier League after an eight-year absence.

Le Bris were promoted to the top flight in their first season at the Stadium of Light after taking over a side that finished 16th in the Championship last season and had been playing in League 1 in 2022.

"This was probably my best game since I joined the club," Sunderland defender Luke O'Nien told Sky Sports.

"I'm so proud of the club and my team-mates. I can't believe what just happened. I've never felt so nervous, but the coach said if we score a goal then who knows what could happen.

Tommy Watson will become a legend at Sunderland. This season will be a legend too. I was delighted to be a part of it, but it didn't seem like I was contributing at all, because I stood there watching and celebrating wildly when Eliezer and Tommy scored," O'Nien added.

Sundelrand won promotion to the Premier League after 8 years (Photo: Getty).

For Sheffield United, the defeat was a huge blow. It was the 10th time they have failed to qualify for the play-offs and they have failed to win any of their last eight trips to Wembley, a run stretching back 100 years to 1925.

This made Sheffield United fans even more sad because they had been expecting a win for a very long time.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/sunderland-bat-ngo-chien-thang-tran-dau-dat-gia-nhat-hanh-tinh-20250525064016754.htm