Brighton held at Tromso in Conference League play-off first leg
By Jim van Wijk, Press Association
Brighton had to settle for a goalless draw from the first leg of their Conference League play-off away to Tromso in Norway.
The Seagulls, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season and open the new domestic campaign against Aston Villa on Sunday, created several good chances but could not find a way past Tromso keeper Jakob Haugaard.
Winger Ibrahim Osman – making his Brighton debut following three loan spells away – looked particularly lively during the first half, while Yasin Ayari also later forced another decent stop from Haugaard.
Tromso almost snatched a late winner on the break, but defender Isak Vadebu sent his shot wide as the tie went into next week’s second leg at The Amex Stadium all square.
Luka Vuskovic had started in Brighton’s defence following his club-record £46million move from Tottenham, while fellow summer arrivals Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha and Michael Svoboda were on the bench.
Midfielder Carlos Baleba, linked with Manchester United, has been carrying an ankle injury and was not involved, neither was winger Yankuba Minteh, who is a reported target for Liverpool.
Brighton, whose players had reimbursed the cost of match tickets for the 407 travelling supporters making the journey into the Arctic Circle, had made a positive start on the artificial pitch at the Romssa Stadium.
Osman – who had signed in 2024 before going out on loan to Feyenoord, Auxerre and then Birmingham in January last season – saw his early effort at the back post blocked by Isak Dahlqvist.
The 21-year-old Ghanaian then went down under a challenge from Dahlqvist after getting ahead of the Tromso defender, but penalty appeals were waved away.
Tromso – who dropped down from the Europa League qualifiers and sit third in Norway’s Eliteserien, having played 17 games – looked to threaten on the break through Troy Nyhammer and Lars Olden Larsen.
Osman sparked into life again when he chested the ball down and fired in a volley, which forced a fine reaction save from Tromso keeper Jakob Haugaard. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Brighton defender Olivier Boscagli sent his header over at a corner.
Tromso were soon on the offensive after the restart. Larsen latched on to a pass up field and raced clear, but Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen was out to make a smart save.
Brighton, though, settled again as Yasin Ayari’s angled strike was pushed out by another good stop from Haugaard.
Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler looked to freshen up his side heading into the final 20 minutes as Charalampos Kostoulas and Amario Cozier-Duberry replaced Diego Gomez and Malick Yalcouye.
The substitutes soon combined when Kostoulas headed over from Cozier-Duberry’s cross, before Tromso broke away with three minutes left as Vadebu raced clear, but the full-back could not find the finish.
