Brighton & Hove Albion were unable to break the deadlock in the Arctic Circle as their Conference League play-off first leg against Tromso ended goalless, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of next week's return fixture at The Amex Stadium.
Fabian Hurzeler's side, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, travelled to Norway looking to gain an early advantage before their domestic opener against Aston Villa this Sunday. Despite carving out several promising opportunities on the artificial surface at Romssa Stadium, Brighton could not find a way past Tromso goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard, who produced a string of important saves to keep the hosts level.
The standout performer for the Seagulls was Ibrahim Osman, making his debut for the club after returning from a series of loan spells since his 2024 signing. The Ghanaian winger, who spent time away at Feyenoord, Auxerre and Birmingham last season, was a constant threat throughout the first half. He saw an early effort blocked at the back post, was denied a penalty despite appearing to be fouled inside the box, and later forced a superb reaction save from Haugaard with a first-time volley after chesting the ball down.
Tromso, who dropped into the Conference League after failing to progress through Europa League qualifying and currently sit third in the Eliteserien after 17 league matches, offered their own threat on the counter-attack. Troy Nyhammer and Lars Olden Larsen looked dangerous in transition, with Larsen racing clear early in the second half only to be denied by a smart save from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Just before the interval, Brighton defender Olivier Boscagli headed narrowly over the bar from a corner, while midfielder Yasin Ayari also tested Haugaard with an angled effort that the Tromso stopper managed to push away.
Hurzeler turned to his bench with around 20 minutes remaining, introducing Charalampos Kostoulas and Amario Cozier-Duberry in place of Diego Gomez and Malick Yalcouye. The changes nearly paid dividends when Kostoulas headed over from a Cozier-Duberry cross as Brighton pushed for a late breakthrough.
Tromso themselves came close to snatching victory in the closing stages. With three minutes remaining, full-back Isak Vadebu broke clear but could not direct his effort on target, sending the shot wide of goal.
Brighton fielded a notably youthful and refreshed backline, with Luka Vuskovic starting following his club-record £46 million move from Tottenham Hotspur. Fellow new arrivals Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha and Michael Svoboda were named among the substitutes but did not feature.
Two notable absentees for Brighton were midfielder Carlos Baleba, who has been dealing with an ankle problem and has attracted interest from Manchester United, and winger Yankuba Minteh, reportedly a target for Liverpool. Neither player was involved in the squad for the trip to Norway.
The result means the tie remains completely open heading into the second leg, which will be played at The Amex Stadium next week. Notably, Brighton's players arranged to reimburse the cost of tickets for the 407 supporters who made the long journey into the Arctic Circle to support the team.
With away goals no longer a deciding factor in European competition tiebreakers, both sides will fancy their chances of progressing to the next round of qualifying when they meet again on home soil for Brighton.
Based on reporting from The Independent.