Europa League: Brighton Progress To Knockouts After AEK Athens' Loss

Brighton have secured their place in the knockouts of the Europa League after defeating AEK Athens 1-0 to top Group B with 10 points while the Greek side are out of the competition. 

Joao Pedro put the side through by scoring from a penalty he drew earlier into the second half. He was later substituted for Evan Ferguson.

AEK later suffered a huge setback when Mijat Gacinovic got red carded for a rough tackle while in challenge for a loose in Brighton's box. 

Brighton are Europa League debutants, a slot they earned from finishing sixth of the 2022/23 Premier League season. Meanwhile, the Greek side and hosts of the match were former champions of the competition. 

Quick Overview 

From the initial stage, the hosts could be said to be the better side of the game before Brighton gradually stepped up to hold off attacks. As AEK continued to lose hold on the game, Brighton moved in and Joao Pedro could not ask for a better chance to score. 

Playing 10-man for much of the second half potentially waned AEK tenacity at the front but maintained hold to remain in the game. Nevertheless, there were glaring chances that Brighton missed that could not be better enough to score from.