Brighton open Conference League with 4-0 win

Brighton and Hove Albion opened their UEFA Conference League campaign with a 4-0 home victory against Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris at the Amex Stadium. Georginio Rutter scored twice and set up Jack Hinshelwood, while Matt O'Riley added the fourth goal to seal a fifth consecutive victory across all competitions for Fabian Hurzeler's team.

Rutter opened the scoring in the 43rd minute following a VAR check after Ibrahim Osman's cut-back, before setting up Hinshelwood to double the advantage in first-half stoppage time. Osman assisted Rutter again for Brighton's third goal in the 53rd minute, with O'Riley heading in the final goal midway through the second half.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said to Sky Sports: "We showed a good performance, a disciplined performance, a performance where we kept a clean sheet and a performance where a lot of players used the opportunities. This will be key for the season, that we can really rely on each other."

• Kauno Zalgiris were making their first appearance in the league phase of any UEFA competition when they visited Brighton on 15 October 2026.
• Brighton recorded 35 shots against Kauno Zalgiris, with nine on target, while the visitors registered four shots in total and one on target.