If all Brighton’s matches in Europe are this exciting then it should be some ride. A thrilling spectacle that saw João Pedro equalise twice from the spot after AEK Athens had taken the lead through Djibril Sidibé and then Mijat Gacinovic ended in frustration for Roberto De Zerbi as Ezequiel Ponce sealed victory with a late breakaway goal.
It was a harsh lesson for Brighton, who badly missed the leadership qualities of defensive linchpin Lewis Dunk as they failed to deal with AEK’s threat on the break all night. But given the journey they and their supporters have been on to get here over the last decade, De Zerbi will know all is not lost just yet.
Dunk’s absence had been rumoured in the buildup to kick-off, with the England defender thought to be struggling with a neck problem, but it was more of a surprise to see the teenage sensation Evan Ferguson not even included in the matchday squad due to a minor injury. De Zerbi rang the changes again after Brighton’s convincing win over Manchester United at the weekend, with only four players who started at Old Trafford retained in the starting lineup. That meant Fati – who has joined on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season – made his first start and there was a debut for Brazilian defender Igor Julio in place of Dunk in the heart of defence.
De Zerbi had stressed beforehand that Brighton could use this competition to continue their evolution and there was a real sense of anticipation in the air as the teams emerged to a cacophony of noise and waving blue and white flags. It was only 14 years ago that this club were still languishing in League One and playing their home matches at a local athletics stadium but, under the shrewd ownership of Tony Bloom combined with De Zerbi’s tactical nous, they feel like they belong at this level already.
A large contingent of travelling supporters behind Jason Steele’s goal in the first half were boosted by the presence of AEK’s London fanclub, with the Greek champions also boasting some familiar faces in their side including the former Watford forward Nordin Amrabat and one-time Everton loanee Sidibé. It certainly was not in the script when the French defender’s bullet header from Ehsan Hajsafi’s corner after 11 minutes gave AEK the lead before Steele had to stretch to deny Levi García immediately afterwards. The Trinidadian then spurned another golden opportunity to extend the lead for Matías Almeyda’s side, only to drag his shot badly off target.
Fati then registered Brighton’s first shot on target before Tudor was wayward with a free header after being picked out by João Pedro’s cross. It was the Brazilian who provided the breakthrough after the Estonian referee Kristo Tohver had initially shown him a yellow card for diving following a challenge inside the box from Hajsafi. But that was swiftly overturned by VAR, with De Zerbi not daring to watch as João Pedro sent Cican Stankovic the wrong way to equalise.
Yet neither the Brighton manager nor Dunk, who was watching on from the stands, could believe their eyes when another lapse of concentration in defence allowed Gacinovic to slide home Hajsafi’s free kick to restore AEK’s lead six minutes before the break.
The home side emerged early for the second half, no doubt with De Zerbi’s half-time teamtalk still ringing in their ears. But Tudor, who played in last season’s Europa Conference final against West Ham with Fiorentina, was again caught napping by an early AEK break and deservedly shown a yellow card for bringing down García. James Milner then made way for Tariq Lamptey as Brighton attempted to increase the energy, only to be held up for a significant delay that saw the impressive Hajsafi eventually stretchered off.
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It took a moment of madness from Damian Szymanski to offer Brighton a lifeline as the Poland defender stumbled on the edge of his own area when under little pressure and seemed to panic as he brought down João Pedro for another penalty. Once again, however, the referee Tohver saw it differently and had to be persuaded by the VAR before João Pedro doubled his tally with clinical precision from the spot.
De Zerbi was shown a yellow card after a brutal challenge from the substitute Milad Mohammadi sent Lamptey sprawling as tempers threatened to boil over. João Pedro came closest to putting Brighton ahead, only to be denied by a good save from Stankovic before the substitute Ponce punished Kaoru Mitoma for giving the ball away cheaply. Despite 13 minutes of injury time, however, Brighton could not find another equaliser.