May 25, (THEWILL) – Julio Enciso’s sensational equaliser for Brighton and Hove Albion against English Premier League champions, Manchester City, ensured Brighton’s qualification for the Europa League next season.
The exhilarating 1-1 draw brought an end to City’s remarkable winning streak of 12 games. The 19-year-old Paraguayan striker unleashed a powerful and swerving shot from 25 yards, finding the top right corner seven minutes before halftime, securing Albion’s sixth-place finish in the EPL.
Phil Foden, in his fifth consecutive start against the Seagulls, put the newly crowned champions ahead at the Amex Stadium. However, despite the return of several key players, including Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola’s formidable side dropped points for the first time since February 18. Haaland’s 79th-minute header was disallowed after VAR spotted a shirt pull on Levi Colwill, much to Guardiola’s frustration, who received a yellow card for his protests.
The thrilling encounter witnessed missed opportunities on both ends. Haaland squandered two excellent chances in the first half, while Brighton’s Danny Welbeck struck the crossbar from a free-kick and had a goal disallowed for offside. Kaoru Mitoma also had an effort disallowed for handball.
The intense match marked Brighton’s final home game of a memorable season and secured their place in the Europa League, extinguishing any remote chance of falling into the Europa Conference League on the last day against Aston Villa.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
