Tromso 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Brighton and Hove Albion had to settle for a goalless draw from the first leg of their Conference League play-off away to Tromso in Norway this evening (Thursday 20 August).
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.
Ghana winger Ibrahim Osman – making his Brighton debut after three spells on loan – looked particularly lively in the first half while Yasin Ayari forced a 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 started in Brighton’s defence after his club-record £46 million move from Tottenham Hotspur while fellow summer arrivals Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha and Michael Svoboda were on the bench.
Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba, linked with Manchester United, has been carrying an ankle injury and was not involved – nor was Gambia winger Yankuba Minteh, who is a reported target for Liverpool.
Brighton, whose players had reimbursed the cost of match tickets for the 407 travelling fans making the trip to the Arctic Circle, made a positive start on the artificial pitch at the Romssa Stadium.
Osman, who joined Brighton in 2024 before loan spells with Feyenoord, Auxerre and then Birmingham City in January last season – saw his early effort at the back post blocked by Isak Dahlqvist.
The 21-year-old then went down under a challenge from Dahlqvist after getting ahead of the Tromso defender but penalty appeals were waved away.
Tromso dropped down from the Europa League qualifiers and sit third in Norway’s Eliteserien, having played 17 games. They 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 Haugaard. In stoppage time in the first half, Brighton defender Olivier Boscagli headed 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.
Albion, though, settled again as Ayari’s angled strike was pushed out by another good stop from Haugaard.
Seagulls boss Fabian Hürzeler looked to freshen up his side heading into the final 20 minutes as Charalampos (Babis) 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.
Hürzeler said that his side will would have to find a cutting edge in the second leg of their Conference League play-off against Tromso after a frustrating night in Norway.
Hürzeler said: “We expected exactly how Tromso played. They defended well, very compact. They had a lot of players in their box who blocked the shots well and they had a really good goalkeeper and were good in transition.
“We created opportunities but in the end we have to be satisfied with a draw although it’s not the result we hoped for.”
Hürzeler added: “Now we are looking forward to the opportunity to win the game in front of our own fans.
“There are certain aspects we have to improve against Tromso. Overall, like I said, they are a good football team so we will have to play on our highest level to win the game at the Amex.”
Hürzeler felt that his team had done enough to largely contain Tromso but needed to be more fluid on the Norwegian side’s artificial pitch.
He said: “I think we controlled the game but we weren’t quick enough in possession. We still had a few opportunities but I think, overall, Tromso defended well.
“They had two big chances after transition moments (where) we have to defend better. Overall (they were) a tough opponent which is what we expected.”
