In-form Brighton saw their six-game winning run come to an end after being held to a 0-0 draw at Jablonec in the UEFA Conference League.
The Premier League's top scorers, who have scored 23 goals across their first seven matches, misfired badly in the foothills of the Jizera Mountains in the northern Czech Republic. Despite having 26 efforts at goal, they failed to score for the first time in 10 games.
Around 1,000 Seagulls fans made the trip from the Sussex coast to the homely Stadion Strelnice in the city of Jablonec nad Nisou. These are heady days for their team, who lie third in the English top flight, fresh from Sunday's 5-0 thrashing of M23 rivals Crystal Palace.
Boss Fabian Hurzeler, in his 100th match in charge, made eight changes from that memorable win, with only Bart Verbruggen, Olivier Boscagli and the omnipresent Pascal Gross keeping their places. Despite enjoying 73 per cent possession, the visitors struggled to create any clear-cut openings, and it was their hosts who finished the stronger. Antonin Rusek almost capitalised on a mistake by Joao Costinha, before Verbruggen made a spectacular fingertip save to prevent Jiri Slama's drive from hitting the top corner.
Hurzeler admitted his side did not play at their highest level. "If you play 0-0 then you didn't create enough, so that's definitely something where we have to get better," he said. "We have to understand what it means to play in this cup."
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing