December 15, (THEWILL) – Brighton and Hove Albion edged Olympique de Marseille 1-0 on Thursday night, to secure first place in Europa League Group B and advance directly to the round of 16. A late strike from Brazilian forward, Joao Pedro, in the 89th minute was enough to give Brighton the victory on home soil.
Both sides had chances to break the deadlock earlier, with Marseille hitting the post and crossbar on separate occasions through Jonathan Clauss and Amine Harit. Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro also went close in the first half. The Seagulls dominated possession, but struggled to create clear openings.
As the game wore on, Marseille focused on defending their draw which would have been enough to win the group based on their superior head-to-head record over Brighton. However, their negative tactics would prove costly. Evan Ferguson found space in the box but could not convert before Joao Pedro rifled home a crisp finish in the 89th minute to steal the points.
The win sees Brighton top Group B with 13 points from their six games, while Marseille finish second with 11 points. As group winners, Brighton now advance straight to the last 16 and avoid the knockout round play-offs against a team dropping down from the Champions League. Marseille must face one of those third-place finishers for a place in the next stage.
Manager, Roberto De Zerbi, was elated with the victory, celebrating wildly with home supporters at the final whistle. His Brighton team have exceeded expectations on their first-ever European campaign and will be eager to keep their adventure going when the competition resumes next year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
