João Pedro strikes late to sink Marseille and put Brighton in last 16

Roberto De Zerbi has acknowledged that, like his Brighton team, he remains a work in progress as a manager. The Italian looked like he would be forced to settle for a place in the playoff round of the Europa League after being frustrated in their attempts to overhaul Marseille at the top of their group by their canny opponents.

But a late strike from João Pedro with his sixth goal of the competition ensured they advance directly to the last 16 at the expense of the French side. Having lost their first-ever European game against AEK Athens here back in September, qualifying as group winners represents quite a feat for a club that was playing in League One as recently as 2011 and can now plan the next stage of their great adventure with absolute relish after this famous victory.

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