Brighton narrowly beaten by AEK Athens on European debut
Brighton were narrowly beaten on their European debut, losing 3-2 to AEK Athens at the Amex Stadium, despite twice coming from behind.
It was a historic evening on the south coast as the Seagulls – who 26 years ago faced extinction as a club – made their first appearance in the Europa League, but the absence of injured captain Lewis Dunk proved telling.
There was little doubt in the quality of AEK’s opener – a bullet header from Djibril Sidibe (11) – but additional goals from Mijat Gacinovic (40) and Ezequiel Ponce (84) exposed Brighton’s defensive fragilities.
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But AEK were hardly perfect at the back themselves, giving away two penalties after some sloppy defending. In almost identical incidents, Ehsan Haji Safi and Jens Jonsson fouled Joao Pedro, with the spot kicks given after a VAR review.
The Brighton forward took and scored both, but it was not enough to give his side their first points in Europe. It is arguably an opportunity missed in a tough Group B which includes Marseille and Ajax, who played out a 3-3 draw in the group’s other match.