Brighton and Hove Albion secured their passage to the Europa League knockout stages as a narrow 1-0 win at AEK Athens proved enough to bypass the Greek champions.
João Pedro continued his excellent form in the competition with a fifth goal in as many games, striking from the spot just as he had three times earlier, including in the reverse fixture between the sides.
It was, however, a contest that could have seen many more goals and much greater drama if both teams had been more incisive in front of goal.
With that in mind, it is time to delve into each performance and see how each player did on a night that settled a great deal in Group B.
Cican Stanković – 6
Starting with the hosts, goalkeeper Stanković was at the heart of several big moments on the night.
The Bosnian-born Austria international was beaten by Pedro’s 55th-minute penalty, but is there a goalkeeper who hasn’t been? Pedro has converted all of his last nine spot-kicks, and in a pre-match press conference admitted he had only missed once during his early career in Brazil.
Elsewhere, AEK’s number one only had two saves to make but could have easily been beaten by Josh Duffus’ late effort as the hosts chased the game.
Lazaros Rota – 6
Not the most effective night for AEK’s right-back, who can be a rampaging attacking threat at his best.
He was too busy marshalling the threat from Kaoru Mitoma to have any impact in the other half, and few will remember his role on the night.
Domagoj Vida – 7
Exactly the kind of performance you expect from the Croatian veteran.
Aerially dominant, hard in the tackle and used his know-how to time everything to perfection.
He was caught out late on as Brighton had a flurry of chances, but that is forgiven in the context of the match.
Harold Moukoudi – 7
Much like his centre-back partner, the Cameroon international was physically immense at the OPAP Arena.
With five tackles, two headers won and the most successful passes of any player on an end-to-end night – 74 of the 77 he attempted – Moukoudi may have had a breakthrough night on the European stage.
Ehsan Hajsafi – 6
Hajsafi is essentially redundant beyond the halfway line, and at 33 years of age, AEK should be looking for a replacement.
When the hosts were struggling for a finisher in the middle, they could have done with a different threat, but Hajsafi was rarely there. Just four assists in the last two seasons speaks to his struggles.
Damian Szymański – 5
Was guilty of handing Brighton the win courtesy of his foul on Pedro, which while soft, was still noticeable enough for referee Sandro Schärer to give the decision.
The AEK captain did not have the motivating impact he did in Sussex either, as the Greeks saw their winless home run in European Group Stage matches extend to 15 matches.
Nordin Amrabat – 5
No surprise that Amrabat was taken off after 72 minutes, as he was having a night of utter anonymity.
Playing just 26 passes, the 36-year-old was kept quiet by a man half his age in Albion youngster Jack Hinshelwood in a remarkable turn of events.
Petros Mantalos – 5
Another who struggled to carve out a chance to change the game, Mantalos had a surprisingly subdued match for a man of such local standing.
No shots, fewer than 30 passes played and an early substitution for the experienced Greek international.
Orbelín Pineda – 8
Finally, an AEK man who made a difference.
The Mexican was a constant thorn in Brighton’s side, bursting into the box from all angles and being a big reason why the hosts fired in a whopping 19 shots on the night.
Unfortunate not to get a goal to cap his performance.
Mijat Gaćinović – 5
Recklessly leapt in for a loose ball in the 65th minute and suffered the consequences.
The Serbian should have shown better judgement when he was already on a booking, and his sending-off ultimately robbed AEK of a chance to respond to Pedro’s penalty.
Steven Zuber – 7
A very creditable performance when the Swiss was out of position as a lone striker.
Best remembered for his 2018 World Cup goal against Brazil, Zuber showed flashes of changing the game in Athens but was not quite good enough with any of his four shots.
Substitutes:
Niclas Eliasson – 5
Struggled to get on the ball in the last 20 minutes, understandably.
Ezequiel Ponce – 5
Four passes were played in a desperate effort up front.
Sergio Araujo – 5
AEK’s regular captain gave it his best, but Brighton were breaking away with ease.
Rodolfo Pizarro – 5
A late substitute with minimal involvement.
Bart Verbruggen – 8
A real coming-of-age performance for the Dutchman in an Albion shirt.
After gaining his first clean sheet in the previous Europa League outing against Ajax, Vebruggen backed things up by producing a showreel of fantastic saves at the OPAP Arena, particularly to stop a fierce Gaćinović effort.
He was fortunate that Zuber’s first-half effort struck the woodwork, but otherwise could not be faulted.
Joël Veltman – 7
Was a little sloppy with possession early on to allow AEK the chance to get going, but improved as the game went on.
He had the busier of AEK’s attackers in Pineda and Gaćinović on his side and dealt well with them in general.
Lewis Dunk – 7
Big blocks with his body, plenty of headers won and some good use of the ball.
It’s just rinse and repeat for Lewis at this point, and he has proven himself on the biggest stage of his career so far, with the only surprising thing being that he made it through a Europa League game unscathed.
Igor Julio – 8
Came in at late notice and was tremendous throughout.
The Brazilian showed no fear in receiving the ball under pressure and playing out, even barrelling out of the backline in the second half to play a beautiful pass for Evan Ferguson.
Like Verbruggen, this was a noticeable step forward for the summer signing.
Jack Hinshelwood – 7
An incredible story; the 18-year-old who came in to help the side he’s been tied to since birth in their biggest moment.
Hinshelwood didn’t have to be a footballer, let alone play for Brighton. He would have made things a lot easier for himself if he’d chosen a quieter life.
But this young man is made of stern stuff, and with excellent tutelage at every stage, he and all those around him have been rewarded with an unforgettable night standing up to the Greek champions.
Billy Gilmour – 6
Bless Billy, because he’s a real workhorse for Roberto De Zerbi.
Making his 18th appearance of the season, on top of caps for Scotland too, the 22-year-old showed plenty of maturity in a game that was not ideal for central midfielders.
He could not dictate play but battled well for his side.
Pascal Gross – 7
In terms of leadership and drive, Gross’ performance had the edge on Gilmour’s.
He was Brighton’s most accurate passer on the night – with 43 of his 46 passes successful – and put himself about to disrupt AEK’s packed midfield too.
Simon Adingra – 6
If all members of Brighton’s frontline were fit right now, then Adingra would be the fall guy this weekend against Chelsea.
Unfortunately, Ansu Fati is out for a ‘long time’ according to De Zerbi, and Julio Enciso and Danny Welbeck remained sidelined too.
Adingra is perhaps adjusting to more regular game time, but nights like these will be great lessons for him.
João Pedro – 8
Brighton’s go-to man of 2023 delivers again.
It is hard to think of other signings from any nation’s second division who have adapted to a new club, different league and European football all so well. Pedro’s nerve for a 22-year-old is simply incredible.
His driving run to bait Szymański into a foul and the calmness to roll the ball past Stanković oozed of star quality.
Kaoru Mitoma – 7
A great night for the Japanese winger, who is still searching for the consistency to go with his high standards elsewhere.
He recognised the importance of tracking back in this meeting, which he rarely did in the reverse fixture, and broke with terrifying speed, especially late on.
Evan Ferguson – 7
Unfortunate not to grab his first European goal in just the third minute of the game courtesy of a double stop from the AEK defence, and was later foiled by Stanković one-on-one.
The Irishman gave Albion the point of difference in attack which AEK could not replicate.
Substitutes:
Mahmoud Dahoud – 6
Not trusted to start the game, but did a reasonable job after coming on in the 69th minute.
James Milner – 6
Battled well in his return from injury, which will be a big boost for Brighton. His experience was a perfect counterpoint to the ever-amassing youth elsewhere.
Carlos Baleba – 6
A late substitute with little involvement.
Josh Duffus – 6
Brought on at the same time as Baleba, but almost etched himself into Albion history by scoring just two minutes after his introduction.
Ultimately, the academy graduate spooned his effort wide of the target, but Duffus’ debut was a fantastic end to the night for the Seagulls.
