Manager Roberto de Zerbi hailed a "historic day" for his Brighton & Hove Albion side as they beat AEK Athens to book their spot in the knockout phase of the Europa League.
The Seagulls, playing in Europe for the first time in their history, earned revenge for their 3-2 loss at home to AEK in the opening match of the group stage to ensure their adventure continues.
"We showed a different mentality tonight, showcasing our soul and resilience," De Zerbi told Uefa.com.
"It was a historic day for Brighton, for the club and our fans.
"It is a massive evening for the club and everyone involved, the players and the fans, a result we will always remember."
Joao Pedro, who scored two penalties in the reverse fixture on the south coast, was accurate again from the spot as he sent goalkeeper Cican Stankovic the wrong way for the only goal in Greece.
Referee Sandro Scharer did not initially give the penalty after Pedro went down under pressure from Damian Szymanski, but he overturned his on-field decision after being advised to check the pitchside monitor following a VAR check.
AEK's hopes of forcing their way back into the encounter were dashed just 10 minutes later when forward Mijat Gacinovic, who had been a thorn in Brighton's side all night, was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Joel Veltman.
With an extra body on the field, Albion monopolised possession and maintained a firm grip on the contest for the final 25 minutes to claim just their third clean sheet of the season.
The win means Brighton will be playing in the next phase of the competition, although they need to beat Marseille in their final Group B fixture at Amex Stadium on 14 December to secure top spot and avoid featuring in the knockout play-offs.
Pedro proving to be key figure
Brighton have been hailed for their dealings in the transfer market, both incoming and outgoing, since making their Premier League debut in 2017-18.
They secured the services of Brazil international Pedro for just under £30m from Watford last summer and he has settled quickly under De Zerbi.
After registering on his debut in a 4-1 win over Luton in the Premier League, Pedro has scored a further eight times to establish himself as the club's leading marksman.
Pedro looked the calmest person inside OPAP Arena when he made his slow and stuttering run up to the penalty spot before stroking coolly into the bottom-right corner.
The 22-year-old is the outright leading scorer in the Europa League, netting five times in as many games.
While De Zerbi will be happy with Pedro's performance, the Italian is also likely to take just as much comfort from the fact his side came through the match with a clean sheet too.
Prior to the trip to Greece, Brighton had only collected two clean sheets - both coming against Ajax in the Europa League - in 18 outings across all competitions.
The Seagulls did have to dig in at times, with AEK creating the majority of the chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Steven Zuber went closest when his effort struck the post and Gacinovic could only fire wide from the rebound.
But Brighton rode their luck to get in level at the break and it was a professional performance to see the game through once they got in front.
Player of the match
DunkLewis Dunk
with an average of 8.25AEK Athens
Squad number1Player nameStankovic
Average rating5.01
Squad number5Player nameN Amrabat
Average rating4.49
Squad number19Player nameEliasson
Average rating4.48
Squad number10Player nameZuber
Average rating4.43
Squad number12Player nameRota
Average rating4.39
Squad number28Player nameHajisafi
Average rating4.36
Squad number13Player namePineda
Average rating4.30
Squad number4Player nameSzymanski
Average rating4.29
Squad number11Player nameAraújo
Average rating4.28
Squad number8Player nameGacinovic
Average rating4.26
Squad number2Player nameMoukoudi
Average rating4.23
Squad number20Player nameMantalos
Average rating4.20
Squad number21Player nameVida
Average rating4.07
Squad number14Player namePonce
Average rating4.05
Squad number70Player namePizarro
Average rating3.96
Brighton & Hove Albion
Squad number5Player nameDunk
Average rating8.25
Squad number11Player nameGilmour
Average rating8.07
Squad number9Player nameJoão Pedro
Average rating7.87
Squad number41Player nameHinshelwood
Average rating7.74
Squad number28Player nameFerguson
Average rating7.71
Squad number3Player nameIgor Julio
Average rating7.64
Squad number34Player nameVeltman
Average rating7.64
Squad number13Player nameGroß
Average rating7.61
Squad number24Player nameAdingra
Average rating7.60
Squad number22Player nameMitoma
Average rating7.58
Squad number6Player nameMilner
Average rating7.44
Squad number56Player nameDuffus
Average rating7.28
Squad number8Player nameDahoud
Average rating7.25
Squad number20Player nameBaleba
Average rating7.06
Squad number1Player nameVerbruggen
Average rating6.51
Line-ups
AEK Athens
Formation 4-1-4-1
1Stankovic
12Rota21Vida2Moukoudi28Hajisafi
4Szymanski
5N Amrabat20Mantalos13Pineda8Gacinovic
10Zuber
- 1Stankovic
- 12Rota
- 21Vida
- 2Moukoudi
- 28Hajisafi
- 4Szymanski
- 5N AmrabatSubstituted forEliassonat 72'minutes
- 20MantalosSubstituted forAraújoat 72'minutes
- 13PinedaSubstituted forPizarroat 82'minutes
- 8GacinovicBooked at 65mins
- 10ZuberBooked at 63minsSubstituted forPonceat 72'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Mohammadi
- 11Araújo
- 14Ponce
- 19Eliasson
- 24Mitoglou
- 29Sidibé
- 30Athanasiadis
- 39Ginis
- 70Pizarro
Brighton
Formation 4-2-3-1
1Verbruggen
34Veltman5Dunk3dos Santos de Paulo41Hinshelwood
13Groß11Gilmour
24Adingra28Ferguson22Mitoma
9João Pedro
- 1Verbruggen
- 34VeltmanBooked at 12mins
- 5Dunk
- 3dos Santos de Paulo
- 41Hinshelwood
- 13Groß
- 11GilmourSubstituted forBalebaat 88'minutes
- 24Adingra
- 28FergusonSubstituted forDuffusat 87'minutes
- 22MitomaSubstituted forDahoudat 69'minutes
- 9João PedroSubstituted forMilnerat 77'minutes
Substitutes
- 6Milner
- 8Dahoud
- 20Baleba
- 23Steele
- 38McGill
- 40Buonanotte
- 45Hinchy
- 48Chouchane
- 50Jackson
- 52Kavanagh
- 56Duffus
Referee:Sandro Schärer
Attendance:30,520
Match Stats
Live Text
Match ends, AEK Athens 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
Second Half ends, AEK Athens 0, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
Foul by Ezequiel Ponce (AEK Athens).
Joshua Duffus (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Niclas Eliasson (AEK Athens) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by James Milner (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Lazaros Rota (AEK Athens) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
James Milner (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Lazaros Rota.
Attempt blocked. Joshua Duffus (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Carlos Baleba is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Niclas Eliasson with a cross.
Corner, AEK Athens. Conceded by James Milner.
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Carlos Baleba replaces Billy Gilmour.
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Joshua Duffus replaces Evan Ferguson.
Attempt missed. Harold Moukoudi (AEK Athens) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ehsan Hajisafi with a cross following a corner.
Corner, AEK Athens. Conceded by Joël Veltman.
Substitution, AEK Athens. Rodolfo Pizarro replaces Orbelín Pineda.
Corner, Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Ehsan Hajisafi.
Foul by Ehsan Hajisafi (AEK Athens).
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