Ukrainian striker Nazariy Rusyn grabbed a late equaliser for Sunderland in their Championship clash at Middlesbrough

Nazariy Rusyn, the Sunderland manager, saved the Derby match by coming off the bench and helping the team win a draw against Middlesbrough.

After moving to Wearside without his family in September, the Ukrainian striker has taken his time adjusting to life here. But on Sunday afternoon, he made a big breakthrough at Riverside Stadium when he scored a late equalizer to steal a 1-1 Championship tie.

“I have noticed a change in him,” Beale remarked. “If you are a parent, you would too. Living away from home is different if you’re in various regions of the UK, but in his case, he was clearly far from his wife and child because of the ongoing conflict in his hometown.

“Now that they are here, it is great for him personally. He will connect with his teammates on the field more effectively as his English gets better.

The timing of Rusyn’s intervention was perfect, as Boro was threatening to pull a double over their neighbors.

Both teams wasted promising first-half chances, with Abdoullah Ba failing to put

his effort past defender Rav van den Berg on the line and Finn Azaz shooting

over an open goal after Sam Greenwood’s had been saved.

When Forss finally beat Anthony Patterson in the 61st minute, the score was finally tied. However, with seven minutes left, 25-year-old Rusyn managed to slip a dipping effort past goalkeeper Tom Glover, but it was not enough to secure the victory.

“I thought our reaction was fantastic and we went on to score a goal,” Beale stated. “But after that, I thought that maybe we should do better again with one or two of the moments we had, certainly with [Jack] Clarke getting in down the left.”

But if it’s not your day… We won’t know how significant it is for a few more weeks, but it’s an important point.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick admitted his frustration at dropping precious points from a winning position.

When asked what he was feeling, Carrick responded, “Yes, definitely frustration

and a small sense of we need to get what we deserve from performances and

games.” We seem to be dropping points that we ought to be winning.

“I feel bad for the boys because they gave it their all in the game and displayed a lot of skill, especially in the second half when they completely controlled the game. It is disappointing that they did not win.”