Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: Sunderland (4th, 77 pts) held a 39-point advantage over Bristol Rovers (24th, 38 pts). On recent form Sunderland sat only 14th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 4th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Bristol Rovers 0.87 scored and 1.52 conceded per game, Sunderland 1.52 and 0.91, with the league averaging 1.31.
Bristol Rovers had been beaten in three straight games. Sunderland's unbeaten run stood at 10, having scored in 15 consecutive games. The five-game form split read 4/15 points for Bristol Rovers against 13/15 for Sunderland.
5 previous meetings sit in the GioScore records — Bristol Rovers 1, draws 1, Sunderland 3, at 2.4 goals per meeting.
The venue was Memorial Stadium in Seattle, with room for 9,832 spectators. Sunderland led 1-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 0-1.