Brighton and Hove Albion made a commanding start to their UEFA Conference League campaign on 16 October 2026, hammering Kauno Zalgiris 4-0 at the Amex Stadium in their opening league-phase fixture. The Seagulls were dominant throughout, with Georginio Rutter leading the charge with a brace.

Key Developments

Remarkably, Brighton head coach made eight changes from the side that defeated Sunderland 2-0 in their previous outing, yet the rotated lineup barely missed a beat. The hosts were relentless in possession, suffocating their Lithuanian visitors from the first whistle.

The goals were shared across the starting lineup, with Georginio Rutter (2), Jack Hinshelwood, and Matt O'Riley all getting on the scoresheet. Ibrahim Osman was the creative catalyst, registering two assists for Rutter's brace.

How the Goals Went In

The floodgates opened four minutes before half-time. Rutter neatly tucked in from Osman's cutback — a goal that required VAR intervention after being initially ruled out — to give Brighton the lead. Hinshelwood then fired home in the dying moments of the first half to double the advantage, capping a strong opening 45 minutes.

Earlier, Hinshelwood's header had drawn the first of several impressive saves from visiting goalkeeper Tomas Svedkauskas before Rutter opened the scoring. Osman collected Malick Yalcouye's through-ball to set up Rutter's second after 53 minutes, and O'Riley then nodded in from debutant Younes Ibrahim's cross to complete a 4-0 scoreline.

Svedkauskas did his best to limit the damage, punching away O'Riley's diving header from eight yards as Brighton pressed for a fifth, but the result was long beyond doubt.

Elsewhere in the Conference League

Mohamed Salah contributed both a goal and an assist — his 65th in UEFA club competition — as Trabzonspor eased past KuPS Kuopio 4-2, with teammate Dju Franculino netting twice.

German striker Paris Brunner scored the opener and teed up Ansu Fati as Filipe Luís' Monaco began with a 2-1 victory at CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria. Meanwhile, Vincenzo Grifo's trademark free-kick set last season's Europa League finalists Freiburg on their way to a 3-2 home win against Jablonec of the Czech Republic.

What This Means for Brighton

The emphatic opening win puts Brighton in a strong position early in the Conference League league phase, with the depth of their squad underlined by a dominant performance despite wholesale changes. Maintaining this momentum across the campaign will be key as they look to make a deep run in European competition.