Ashamed Sunderland star begs for forgiveness after ‘worst day of his life’

Yesterday at 05:17 AM

Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor bemoaned the ‘worst day of his life’ after seeing two penalties saved by Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford.

Trafford denied Isidor not once, but twice in the space of ten minutes as the promotion-chasing sides played out a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor.

Isidor’s devastation was clear to see, as the Frenchman looked on the verge of tears when approaching the away supporters who supported him nonetheless.

The striker apologised and held his hands in a prayer position as if he was asking supporters to forgive him, with Sunderland and Burnley players attempting to console him.

Posting on social media after the game, Isidor said: “Feel like a big slap in the face, and the worst day of my life because all of us know how I love this club.

“Even if only actions on the pitch can make forgiveness, I would like to apologise on my teammates, every single fan and all the people of this club for what happened tonight.

“I feel really ashamed, but I promise you that I will come back stronger from this! See you Tuesday, HWTL.

“And also big love for all messages of support from the real ones.”

The fouls leading up to the respective penalties were dripping in controversy.

In the 84th minute, Black Cats forward Eliezer Mayenda had slipped Isidor through with a perfect pass, only for the latter to be clipped by Burnley defender CJ Egan-Riley and sent tumbling to the turf.

However, replays showed the contact from Egan-Riley, who was subsequently booked, came from outside the box.

Trafford used every trick in the book to delay Isidor’s penalty, including tying up his laces and re-strapping his gloves.

The delaying tactics worked a charm, as Trafford guessed correctly and dived to his right to keep out Isidor’s effort.

But Isidor would have a chance to redeem himself and help Sunderland snatch all three points in the dying seconds of the contest.

Sunderland left-back Dennis Cirkin was brought down inside the area by Burnley’s Oliver Sonne, prompting the referee to point to the penalty spot once more.

Trafford quickly found himself suffering from cramp and even received a yellow card for time-wasting.

Yet it proved to be a masterstroke.

Isidor bravely stepped up to take another penalty but saw his effort parried away by Trafford after he targeted the same spot.

Trafford’s second save sparked jubilant scenes among the Burnley supporters as the travelling Sunderland faithful held their heads in their hands.

The full time whistle soon followed Trafford’s second save, bringing an end to the contest.

The Burnley goalkeeper offered a cheeky response when asked if he was playing mind-games with Isidor by delaying the penalties.

“No, the first one my laces were undone and the second my hammy (hamstring) was crying,” a smiling Trafford told Sky Sports.

“I was surprised he stepped up twice, to be fair. We watched his pens yesterday and I think he hit four in the middle and to my right so we thought to stand in that gap and react.

“He did it for the first one and the second I thought, ‘He’s not going to do the same thing twice’, and I dived and saved it.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris conceded Isidor was ‘disappointed’, but urged the star to ‘reset and switch off’.

As for Trafford’s time-wasting antics, the Black Cats manager could only hold his hands up.

“It was smart,” Le Bris said.

“Because at the end, they won the psychological battle with the shooter (Isidor).

“I think the referee’s there to judge and I can’t be critical with his decisions. So for me, it’s just a game.”

Burnley boss Scott Parker declared Trafford’s heroics ‘definitely earned us a point’.

“The two penalty saves weren’t just penalty saves, they were incredible saves in terms of [how] he shot across his line,” Parker told Sky Sports.

The result put Burnley level on points with league leaders Leeds United with 53, although Daniel Farke’s side remain ahead on goal difference and have a game in hand.

As for Sunderland, they sit two points behind in fourth but are 11 points clear of seventh-placed West Bromwich Albion.