No pyro, no party: Brighton 1-0 Marseille photos
Group of death? What group of death? Through the smoke haze of numerous pyros, these photos show the night that Brighton beat Marseille 1-0 to top Group B of the Europa League and progress straight to the round of 16.
The Albion could not have been given a tougher assignment on their European debut, facing two former European champions in Ajax and Marseille and Greek double winners AEK Athens.
Brighton losing their first game to AEK and then going into half time away in Marseille 2-0 down was not an ideal start. But since that second half comeback to draw 2-2 at the Stade Velodrome, the Albion have been faultless.
Four consecutive wins. No goals conceded. And having learned very quickly what it takes to succeed in Europe, nobody will fancy facing Brighton when the proper knockouts start in March.
The visit of Marseille to the Amex being a winner-takes-all clash in terms of deciding who finished first made for an intense atmosphere.
Whilst Albion fans cannot take bottle lids, homemade sandwiches or flasks of tea into the stadium for fear of receiving a 10 game ban, Marseille supporters brought in enough fireworks to make Bastille Day look like a couple of pieces of damp kindling.
This was proper European football under the lights on a cold winter evening. And for 88 minutes, it looked like the French side were going to head back across the English Channel with the point they needed to top the group and send Brighton into the February playoffs.
But then Mr Thursday Night came to the fore. Joao Pedro found a bit of space in the box and picked out the top corner with a stunning finish for his sixth Europa League goal of the season.
Cue absolute bedlam across the stadium, including a blue flare lit up in the north Stand. Hey, anything Marseille fans can do, Brighton fans can do… slightly less impressively.
The final 120 seconds plus stoppage time were played out with the entire Amex on its feet, followed by wild scenes of celebration at full time.
It will go down as another one of the greatest nights in Albion history – with at least two more European dates to come in the spring. Roll on March.
If you have any photos you would like included in our Brighton 1-0 Marseille gallery, please e-mail them to wearebrighton@hotmail.co.uk or tweet them to us @wearebrighton
