Brighton held to 0-0 draw by Tromsø in Conference League play-off

Brighton & Hove Albion played to a 0-0 draw against Norwegian side Tromsø IL in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off at Romssa Arena. Despite controlling much of the possession, the Premier League side struggled to break through a disciplined Tromsø defense, anchored by goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard, who made several key saves to deny Georginio Rutter and Ibrahim Osman.

Tromsø nearly secured a victory late in the match when defender Isak Vadebu missed a clear chance on the counter-attack. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler handed defender Luka Vuskovic his debut, but the squad was without Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh due to injury.

In a gesture of appreciation for the 407 traveling supporters who faced difficult travel arrangements to the Arctic Circle, Brighton players announced they would refund the cost of match tickets. The second leg of the tie will take place at the Amex Stadium next Thursday.