Thursday 14th December 2023 will go down in Brighton & Hove Albion history as the night the roof was blown off the Amex.
The noise that greeted Joao Pedro scoring an 88th minute winner to give the Seagulls victory over Marseille and top spot in their Europa League group was up there with the loudest ever made by a Brighton crowd.
It was the highlight of a night which featured winner-takes-all stakes, fireworks, passion and pride. What an honour to be there to witness it all and understand first hand what European football is all about.
Marseille arrived at the Amex with 11 points. Brighton had 10. Both teams had already qualified for the round of 16. If Marseille won or drew, they would finish first place in Group B. If Brighton won, they would take top spot.
The group winners progressed directly to the round of 16 in March, saving themselves two additional playoff fixtures against a Champions League side in February.
Therefore, it was paramount for the Albion to win and to ease their fixture list in the new year with the squad already struggling with its workload.
My journey to the Amex was not as relaxed as normal. I had been lecturing all day Thursday and had to start again at 9am on Friday morning for another full day.
An already croaky voice added to my stress. However, the smooth ride provided by Seagull Travel from Lindfield helped me relax before reaching Falmer.
I was even asked if I could sign a copy of Seagulls Best Ever Season Volume 2 whilst queuing for a drink in the East Upper. This was a very nice request.
Will a third volume be needed at the end of the campaign, detailing how Brighton won the Europa League? Fingers crossed, because I love writing about our team in the good times and the bad. Thankfully, we are enjoying a lot more of the former currently.
The boys in blue from our local constabulary were out in numbers around the Amex to ensure our safety and ease of access to the stadium.
Marseille fans are somewhat known for fireworks and we certainly saw that coming from the South Stand. God knows how they got them into the Amex when home supporters are always subjected to such thorough searches.
The playing surface looked in pristine condition, for which the ground staff need to be applauded. The Europa League paraphernalia and signage around the stadium really adds to the sense of occasion.
Good Old Sussex by the Sea was sung before the teams entered the pitch, as per UEFA protocol. We were then treated to flamethrowers followed by pyrotechnics from the away end, meaning the game kicked off in heavy smoke.
Speaking before the match, Roberto De Zerbi demanded that Brighton win. Those words galvanised the players right from the start, when Simon Adingra created two very early attempts.
Marseille could have taken the lead when a shot caught a big deflection off Pascal Gross. It looped up, came down and hit the top of the Albion crossbar. A lucky escape for Brighton.
The visitors had done their homework and were paying close attention to Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma out wide. Even though Brighton could not get their dangerous wingers into the game so much, some of the football played was a real joy to watch.
This level of control exerted by the Albion meant Marseille did not have one shot on target all evening. That stat of course was helped by the fact hitting the woodwork does not count; Marseille would rattle the post in the second half to go with that earlier effort against the bar.
Half time brought a very familiar face onto the Amex turf. Mr Inigo Calderon was interviewed, speaking about his new role of Albion Under 18s head coach.
It is great to see him back at the club. Calderon seems to be enjoying himself too, telling the crowd how much he loves coaching.
Brighton seemed to be going longer than normal with their passing at the start of the second half. Inch perfect cross field passes were being pinged out to Adingra and Mitoma.
The control those two players display when the ball is coming at them high and fast is truly amazing. It is like watching those Velcro balls which stick to a surface when thrown. What wonderful skills this Brighton squad have.
Some great crosses continued to come into the middle which were not far away from being converted. Pedro almost got on the end of a couple and Billy Gilmour hit a powerful drive the Marseille goalkeeper spilt.
The consensus around me in the East Upper was surely a goal was coming. The build up play was great and all it needed was a slight improvement in the final third to make it count. Or as Warren Aspinall on BBC Radio Sussex always says, “You’ve got to stick the ball in the onion bag”.
Marseille almost did that against the run of play when Amine Harit struck the post. The ball bounced back, hit Jason Steele in the heel and could have gone anywhere until Jan Paul van Hecke managed to clear away the danger.
When Jonathan Clauss shot just wide, my blood pressure was beginning to take a turn for the worst. Ignoring the fact I had to lecture the following day, I became quite vocal in trying to spur the players on.
Evan Ferguson was introduced from the bench and it did not take him long to get involved. A shot which we all thought the Marseille goalkeeper had done brilliantly to tip over the bar was somehow awarded as a goal kick.
And then the moment finally came. More impressive build up play found Pedro in the box. He spun and hammered the ball into the top corner with his right foot.
The Amex blew a fuse. The noise was deafening. Pedro ran over to the East Stand, jumped the advertising hoarding and ended up in the crowd celebrating his amazing goal.
On the other side of the Amex, De Zerbi went equally mad. All the pent up nerves and emotions came out of the Brighton head coach as he embraced fans and colleagues near the dugout.
It was a remarkable moment on a remarkable night in a remarkable season from a remarkable team. And there will be more to come when the Europa League resumes in March with the Albion in the last 16.
Bring it on.
Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony
Seagulls Best Ever Season Volume 2 charts Brighton’s record breaking 2022-23 campaign through the eyes of Tony Noble, an East Stand Upper season ticket holder at the American Express Stadium. It is available from Waterstones, WHSmith, Amazon Bookstore and all good bookshops as well as the Albion Superstore at the Amex and via this link.
