Brighton held to 0-0 draw in Tromso but eye home advantage

Three hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, under a cold Norwegian sky, Brighton controlled almost everything except the scoreline.

Fabian Hurzeler’s side dominated Tromso in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off on Thursday, but left with only a 0-0 draw and the nagging feeling they should already have one foot in the group stage.

Jakob Haugaard had other ideas. The Tromso goalkeeper stood between Brighton and a comfortable first-leg cushion, producing two sharp first-half saves that defined the night. First he denied Georginio Rutter, then he stretched to keep out Ibrahim Osman as the Seagulls pinned the hosts back and moved the ball with authority.

The pattern was clear: Brighton on the ball, Tromso waiting for a mistake. Yet the breakthrough never came.

Chances missed in the Arctic

For all Brighton’s control, the best warning of what this tie can do to them came on the counter.

Heine Larsen broke clear and forced Bart Verbruggen into action, a reminder that Tromso carry just enough threat to punish any lapse. Late on, the Norwegian side should have done exactly that. Isak Vadebu found himself with a golden chance in the closing minutes, only to waste it and let Brighton off the hook.

By then, the Premier League side’s tempo had dipped, the early sharpness dulled by a stubborn home defence and the growing sense that this might simply not be their night.

Hurzeler did at least get a first look at his new defensive cornerstone. Club-record signing Luka Vuskovic, brought in from Tottenham, made his debut at the heart of the back line and helped Brighton keep things tight when Tromso did venture forward.

They had to do it without Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh, both sidelined by injury and both the subject of heavy transfer speculation, with Manchester United and Liverpool respectively circling. Their absence stripped some of the explosiveness from Brighton’s attacking options, and it showed in the final third.

Still, for a club only in Europe for the second time in their history after last season’s run to the Europa League last 16, this was another step into unfamiliar territory. The performance was mature. The result, less so.

The tie now heads to the south coast next Thursday, where Brighton will expect the chances to fall their way again — and this time to take them — before they turn their attention to opening their Premier League campaign at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Rangers edge through tense Jablonec clash

Back in Glasgow, Rangers found a way. It was hardly fluent, and it was far from comfortable, but it was enough.

A 1-0 win over Czech side Jablonec came courtesy of Ryan Naderi early in the second half, his strike separating two sides locked in a scrappy contest. Once in front, Derek McInnes’ team had to dig in.

Their task became even harder when Cammy Devlin was sent off, leaving Rangers to finish with 10 men and protect a fragile lead under growing pressure. They held on, and on a mixed night for Scottish clubs in the competition, that resilience mattered.

McInnes’ side were the only Scottish team to win on Thursday. Hearts twice found the net but had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to Rapid Vienna, while Motherwell were undone 3-1 by last season’s Europa League runners-up Freiburg.

Rangers now carry a narrow advantage into the return leg, Brighton bring home a level tie, and already the question hangs over both: who will turn these tight, nervy nights into a proper European run?