Brighton's European Dream Dims: Heavy Defeat to Roma Puts Quarter-Final Hopes in Jeopardy

Brighton’s inaugural venture into European knockout competition appears to be in jeopardy following a heavy defeat to Roma in the first leg leaving their Europa League quarter-final chances unlikely. Defensive lapses in the first half allowed Roma to secure an early lead through Paulo Dybala and extend it with goals from Romelu Lukaku, Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante. Despite Brighton’s bold efforts in the second half, they failed to narrow the deficit.

Manager Roberto de Zerbi acknowledged the team’s inexperience at this level and emphasized the need for improvement to compete. This loss serves as a stark reminder of the considerable gap in experience between Brighton and Roma. The Italian manager admitted Roma’s superior experience in such games and highlighted the learning curve for his side which has made significant strides in recent years. 

The defeat underscores the challenges faced by Brighton as they navigate their first European campaign.