Brighton Stalemated in Tromso as Rangers Secure Narrow Win
Three hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, under a cold, flat sky in Tromso, Brighton’s second European adventure froze on the brink without ever quite breaking through.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side dominated the ball in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off, dictated the tempo, and carved out the clearer chances. They still walked away with nothing more than a 0-0 draw and a nagging sense of a night that should have belonged to them.
Brighton’s control, Tromso’s resistance
The Seagulls settled quickly on the artificial surface and spent long stretches camped in Tromso territory. Their best moments came before the interval, when Georginio Rutter and Ibrahim Osman both looked set to tilt the tie.
Rutter burst clear only to see Tromso goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard spring low to his right and turn the shot away. Osman then tried his luck, again drawing a sharp stop from Haugaard, who read it well and parried.
Brighton kept probing, recycling possession, dragging white shirts from side to side. The pattern felt familiar: Premier League quality on the ball, Norwegian resilience without it.
Yet Tromso were never just passengers. When they broke, they did it with purpose. Heine Larsen found space on a counter-attack and forced Bart Verbruggen into action, the Brighton keeper standing firm to keep the scores level.
As the game ticked into its closing stages, the warning grew louder. Isak Vadebu suddenly had the chance of the night, a golden opening that could have flipped the tie on its head. He squandered it, and Brighton escaped with their clean sheet intact.
Vuskovic debuts, transfer noise grows
There was one clear positive for Hurzeler amid the frustration. Club-record signing Luka Vuskovic, brought in from Tottenham, was handed his debut and slotted into the back line on a big European night, far from home and in testing conditions.
Brighton were, however, shorn of two key names. Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh missed the trip through injury. Both remain in the headlines regardless, with Baleba linked to Manchester United and Minteh drawing interest from Liverpool.
The tie now heads back to the south coast, where Brighton will host Tromso next Thursday with everything still finely balanced. Before that, the Seagulls must flick the switch back to domestic mode: Aston Villa visit the Amex on Sunday as Brighton launch their Premier League campaign.
Rangers grind it out, Scots endure mixed night
While Brighton were held at arm’s length in Norway, Rangers found a way through in Glasgow.
Derek McInnes’ side had to scrap for it, but a single strike from Ryan Naderi early in the second half was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Czech side Jablonec. The goal gave Rangers a narrow advantage to protect, yet the night was far from straightforward.
Cammy Devlin’s dismissal left them to finish with 10 men, turning the closing stages into a test of nerve and discipline. They survived it, and with it came the only Scottish victory of the evening in the competition.
Elsewhere, Hearts were dragged into a four-goal tussle at Tynecastle, drawing 2-2 at home to Rapid Vienna in a tie that already looks set to be decided on fine margins in the return leg. Motherwell’s task is far steeper: a 3-1 defeat to last season’s Europa League runners-up Freiburg leaves them with a mountain to climb.
The early European picture is already taking shape. Brighton must now prove they can turn control into cutting edge on home soil, while Rangers and the rest of Scotland’s hopefuls try to turn these slim advantages – or heavy deficits – into something more lasting when the second legs arrive.
