Jablonec 0-0 Brighton
For all their possession and chances, Brighton were simply unable to find the net. Fabian Hurzeler’s side were held to a 0-0 draw by Jablonec and the Czech side even came close to claiming a surprise victory near the end.
The result came only days after Brighton thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 to strengthen their position as the Premier League’s ultimate B-level team. They had scored 23 goals in their first seven league matches. This is a team in superb form in front of goal, even if Fabian Hurzeler made eight changes for the Conference League trip and Bart Verbruggen, Olivier Boscagli and Pascal Gross were the only players to keep their places from the victory over Palace.
Jablonec coach Lubos Kozel had even suggested before kick-off that his team would need a miracle to take anything from the match, but in the end, a disciplined performance and Brighton’s own poor finishing were enough to earn the hosts a point.
Brighton took control early and spent much of the opening 20 minutes in the Jablonec half. Jack Hinshelwood tested goalkeeper Jan Hanus, but Gross and Ibrahim Osman failed to hit the target with their efforts.
The hosts gradually found their way into the game and threatened from a corner when Antonin Rusek headed narrowly wide. Rusek later tried a backheel that forced Verbruggen to react quickly, but Brighton remained the more dominant side before the break.
Georginio Rutter came close to giving the visitors the lead after Gross played him through, but his shot flashed across goal and went wide. Boscagli also missed the target from distance as Brighton struggled to turn their territorial advantage into a breakthrough.
The visitors continued to push after the restart. Rutter found Osman with a well-timed pass, but the forward sent his effort wide. Malick Yalcouye then put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Osman soon created another opening with a reverse pass that released Matt O’Riley. His low cross raced across the six-yard box, but Rutter could not reach it.
No way through so far with 25 to go… 😤 https://t.co/BZK71HQVrf
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@BHAFC) October 22, 2026
Hurzeler responded to the continued wastefulness by making four substitutions. Chema Andres, Luka Vuskovic, Yasin Ayari and Promise David came on as Brighton searched for a winner, but the changes did not produce the desired result.
Instead, Jablonec grew in confidence and began to threaten at the other end. Rusek nearly punished a mistake by Costinha before Verbruggen produced an excellent fingertip save to push Jiri Slama’s powerful effort away from the top corner.
Brighton still had one final opportunity to take all three points in stoppage time. Rutter, who scored twice in their opening 4-0 win over Kauno Zalgiris, found space for a quick shot, but Hanus made the save.
