The story of the Tromso IL 0-0 Brighton ratings is that Bart Verbruggen was the best player on the pitch for an Albion side assembled at a cost of over £200 million against opposition whose entire squad value is just 13.2 million according to Transfermarkt.
Verbruggen spared the Albion from what would have been a bit of an embarrassing Conference League qualification playoff round first leg defeat against the Norwegian hosts by making a superb one-on-one save from Heine Asen Larsen early in the second half.
It meant Verbruggen was the only Seagull to score a seven at the Romssa Arena. Must do better is the school report card for virtually everyone else from the first competitive game of the 2026-27 season.
And you suspect Brighton will do better back at the Amex in the second leg. For all the inevitable and fantastically entertaining meltdowns which took place in the aftermath of a goalless draw in the Arctic Circle, this was never going to be straightforward for the Albion.
The whole Arctic Circle thing made it difficult. As did the 3G pitch. And the fact Tromso are halfway through their domestic season.
Brighton in contrast are lacking fitness and sharpness with just five friendlies under their belts, none of which were against opposition offering much of a test.
Here are your Tromso IL 0-0 Brighton player ratings.
BART VERBRUGGEN – 7.00
His big moment came Asen Larsen sprung the Albion offside track and went racing clear. Verbruggen shut down the angle, made himselg big and managed to get enough of his shoulder on the ball to send it over the bar. An important save on the night which could look even more important if Brighton end up scraping through the second leg by a single goal.
Mats Wieffer – 5.83
A performance which once again opened up the whole Wieffer is not a right back debate amongst supporters.
Luka Vuskovic – 6.83
Looks a threat from set pieces and was generally very solid. His Tromso 0-0 Brighton player ratings score might have taken a tumble, however, had Isak Vadebu not scuffed a glorious chance wide in the final five minutes following a Vuskovic mistake.
Olivier Boscagli – 6.67
A frustrated figure last season through being unable to break the Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke partnership. Early indications are that Hurzeler will be going with Boscagli and Vuskovic in 2026-27. This was a steady performance which justified Hurzeler selecting him ahead of Dunk.
Ferdi Kadioglu – 5.83
Not the best start to the new campaign for the reigning Albion Player of the Season.
Malik Yalcouye – 6.33
His competitive Brighton debut came as something of a surprise as Hurzeler opted to push Pascal Gross into the number 10 role with Jack Hinshelwood on the bench. Strong chance we see more of Yalcouye with Carlos Baleba injured and seemingly about to be sold to Manchester United.
Yasin Ayari – 6.00
Started slow before growing in influence as the second half wore on. Drew one of a number of fine saves from Tromso goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard with a rasping shot pushed wide after skipping over a couple of tackles.
Diego Gomez – 5.33
We have said it before and no doubt we will be saying it again at some point his season. Gomez is either really good or really rubbish. There is never a happy medium. This was one of his rubbish nights.
Pascal Gross – 6.33
Decent enough in terms of trying to make things. But I am not sure Gross should be playing so advanced when his experience and knowledge in a deeper position last season was so important to the turnaround from February onwards.
Ibrahim Osman – 6.67
Injuries to Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh (along with a potential departure to Liverpool) mean this was a good opportunity for one of the young wingers in the squad to make a case for greater Premier League involvement this season. Osman was the player who did so with a lively display, including the chest and volley forcing Haugaard into his best save of the game.
Georginio Rutter – 5.83
It was obvious in the 2024-25 season that Rutter is not an effective number 9. Yet here we are. Two years later. Still trying the same thing in the 2026-27 season.
Charalampos Kostoulas – 5.83
Anyone else wonder what Kostoulas thinks when the club sold Danny Welbeck to give him more minutes and yet Hurzeler continuews to persist with Rutter up front? Or maybe Hurzeler is right not to trust Kostoulas based on the header he put wastefully off target after coming on for the final 20 minutes.
Amario Cozier-Duberry – 5.33
A combination of transfer interest and some exciting performances in League One for Bolton Wanderers meant there was quite a buzz around Cozier-Duberry amongst Brighton fans. But based on his cameo here, he is not ready for top flight football yet.
Maxim De Cuyper – 5.67
Osman got the nod to start over De Cuyper, presumably because Hurzeler thought pace would be the way to break through the anticipated low block from Tromso.
Jack Hinshelwood – 5.67
The only explanation for starting Hinshelwood on the bench is that he was one of those Hurzeler was referring to when he said some players in the squad have issues with 3G surfaces and therefore needed protecting at the Romssa Arena.
The WAB Player Ratings are formulated using marks out of 10 given by Brighton fans via social media. To have your scores included, follow We Are Brighton on Twitter or We Are Brighton on Bluesky and look out for the player rating thread after each game.
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