Brighton’s trip into the unknown was always going to be a steep learning curve. But Roberto De Zerbi’s side recovered from the shock of conceding two goals in less than 90 seconds to Marseille’s Chancel Mbemba and Jordan Veretout to secure a vital point thanks to a magnificent fightback capped by substitute João Pedro’s equaliser from the penalty spot two minutes from full time.
It was the Brazilian’s third penalty of the competition already after Pascal Gross had pulled one back early in the second half to begin the revival. While Brighton remain bottom of their group in their debut Europa League campaign after losing their opening match against AEK Athens, their response showed they belong at this level and kept hopes of progressing from the group stages very much still alive.
