Mythos, gyros, ouzo and tear gas: AEK Athens 0-1 Brighton photos
AEK Athens 0-1 Brighton means that these will not be the last photos we see from the Albion playing in Europe in the 2023-24 season.
Victory at the OPAP Arena guaranteed Brighton a top two finish in Europa League Group B and a place in the knockout rounds of the competition post-Christmas.
The visit to the Greek capital proved quite the trip for Seagulls supporters. Athens is one of the most historic cities on Earth and being paired with AEK meant the chance to explore such famous sites as the Acropolis and the Panathenaic Stadium.
Plenty of gyros was consumed and too much Mythos and ouzo drunk. And just to tick off another rite of passage when it comes to European football, Albion fans were subjected to an unintentional tear gassing after the full time whistle.
In their wisdom, the Greek police decided to fire tear gas at AEK supporters. Nobody seemed to have considered what would happen if the wind then blew said tear gas into the away section, which is exactly what happened to leave people coughing, spluttering and crying. Not a great experience, by all accounts.
Thankfully, what happened on the pitch made up for it. Brighton were nowhere near their best yet still managed to find a way to win thanks to a Joao Pedro penalty.
Just as he had when Brighton lost 3-2 to AEK at the Amex two months earlier, Pedro earned and then converted the spot kick.
It seemed on that September night back in Sussex that whenever AEK came forward, they were going to score. Not so here; the Albion have learned quickly the knowhow and nous needed to win in Europe.
The scenes at full time as the players celebrated on the pitch will live long in the memory, perhaps even eclipsing those following the full time whistle away at Ajax.
Bring on 2024 when there will be even more memories to be made – hopefully minus the tear gas.
If you have any photos you would like included in our AEK Athens 0-1 Brighton gallery, please e-mail them to wearebrighton@hotmail.co.uk or tweet them to us @wearebrighton
