On 30 November, one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. AEK (Athens) and Brighton (England) met.
Europa League
AEK (At hens) - Brighton (England) - 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Joao Pedro (55)
Warnings: J. Veltman (12), M. Gacinovic (27), S. Zuber (63), M. Gacinovic (65).
AEK Athens faced Brighton in a tense UEFA Europa League match at the legendary OPAP Arena. Both teams were keen to win and the match promised an exciting spectacle. The first half started with both teams showing a good level of skill and determination. However, despite a few notable attempts, including a rousing strike from AEK Athens' M. Gacinovic, neither team could hit the goal post. The score remained 0-0 at half-time, and the fans were eagerly awaiting new developments in the second half. With the start of the second half, the tension on the pitch only increased. On 55 minutes, Brighton were awarded a penalty, which gave them a great opportunity to take the lead. Joao Pedro stepped up to the spot and confidently converted the penalty, giving Brighton a 1-0 lead. The match continued to be tight, with both sides fighting for control. However, tensions began to rise when players from both teams were shown yellow cards. J. Veltman of Brighton and M. Gacinovic of AEK Athens received warnings in the 12th and 27th minutes respectively. С. Zuber and M. Gacinovic of AEK Athens received yellow cards in the 63rd and 65th minutes respectively, which further increased the tension on the pitch.
Unfortunately for AEK Athens, Gacinovic's day got worse and worse as he received a red card in the 65th minute, leaving his team with ten men. Both teams made substitutions in an attempt to turn the tide of the match. In the 69th minute, K. Mitoma from Brighton replaced M. Dahoud. AEK Athens also made changes, with S. Araujo and E. Ponce replacing P. Mantalos and S. Tsoubera respectively in the 72nd minute. Zubera respectively in the 72nd minute. In the same minute N. Amrabat entered the game, replacing N. Eliasson for AEK Athens. Tensions remained high throughout the match, but both teams were unable to create clear chances. In the 77th minute Brighton made a second substitution: J. Milner came on in place of Joao Pedro. In response, on 83 minutes O. Pineda replaced R. Pizarro. In the final minutes of the match Brighton made two late substitutions: in the 87th minute B. Gilmour replaced K. Pizarro. Gilmour replaced K. Balleb, and E. Ferguson replaced J. Duffus in the same minute. As a result, Brighton's only goal proved to be decisive, and the match ended with a 1-0 victory for the English team. Despite playing with ten men for much of the match, AEK Athens showed admirable resilience, but ultimately failed to win. Both teams showed their skill and determination throughout the match, giving the fans a fascinating spectacle of European football.
In the next round, the following matches await the rivals: Ajax vs AEK, Brighton vs Marseille.
| AEK | Brighton | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Kicks to the goal | 2 |
| 19 | Kicks | 9 |
| 5 | Blocked shots | 4 |
| 14 | Penalty kicks | 8 |
| 5 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 1 |
| 11 | Offences | 11 |
| 4 | Corner | 3 |
| 4 | Offsides | 1 |
| 55% | Ball possession | 45% |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 1 | Red cards | 0 |
| 1 | Keeper saves | 5 |
| 483 | Total assists | 406 |
| 427 | Accurate assists | 341 |
| 88% | Accuracy of passes | 84% |