Getafe 0-1 Brighton: Malick Yalcouyé Header Seals Conference League Win

Brighton & Hove Albion left Spain with all three points on Thursday night, beating Getafe 0-1 in the UEFA Conference League league phase. Ivory Coast midfielder Malick Yalcouyé scored the only goal in the 64th minute, heading home after Costinha knocked the ball back across the face of goal, Sky Sports and BBC Sport reported.

The win moved Fabian Hürzeler’s side into the top eight of the Conference League standings. BBC Sport’s table after the match listed Brighton 5th on 7 points (2 wins, 1 draw, 5 goals scored, 0 conceded). Getafe sat 31st on 1 point.

How the goal happened

Tension had built through a cagey night at Estadio Coliseum. Sky Sports said Jaouen Hadjam hit the woodwork twice before the breakthrough — once in each half — as Brighton probed Getafe’s low block. Costinha’s headed knockdown finally created the opening; Yalcouyé finished from close range. BBC Sport added that the header went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Substitute Ibrahim Osman later missed a close-range chance to make it 2-0, Sky Sports noted, but Brighton held on. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen twice denied Getafe forward Iván Azón, according to BBC Sport, as the Seagulls collected another clean sheet.

BBC Sport listed attendance at 8,007.

Hürzeler’s rotation and reaction

Hürzeler made five changes from Brighton’s 1-0 Premier League win at Manchester City, Sky Sports reported, and Yalcouyé was among the players handed a start. Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Hürzeler called the night typical of Conference League away games: beat the low block, stay patient.

“We didn’t play our best game; we had moments where we were lazy,” he said, per Sky Sports. “But we kept a clean sheet and scored a goal. We deserved to win this game.”

BBC Sport recorded a similar quote and noted Brighton’s third clean sheet in a row in the competition. Hürzeler also said fans “should dream” about lifting the trophy while the staff focuses on controllable work.

Context for both clubs

Brighton entered the night unbeaten in the league phase after a frustrating 0-0 at Jablonec, Sky Sports said, and had just come through a tough domestic stretch that included the Manchester City result. BBC Sport described the Seagulls as third in the Premier League and favorites to win the 2026-27 Conference League, noting that three of the last five winners of the competition have been English clubs (West Ham 2023, Chelsea 2025, Crystal Palace 2025-26).

Getafe finished seventh in La Liga last season but sat 13th domestically this year with the joint-lowest goals tally in the division (eight), BBC Sport reported. José Bordalás’s side struggled to break Brighton down after Azón’s early opportunities faded.

What comes next

BBC Sport said this was Brighton’s last of five consecutive away games. The Seagulls return to the Amex Stadium on Sunday to host Brentford in the Premier League. Their next European match is on Nov. 26 at home against Romanian club Universitatea Craiova.

With three league-phase games still to play, Brighton’s unbeaten run and spot inside the automatic top-eight band put them in strong position; Getafe remain near the bottom of the 36-team table and need a sharp turnaround to climb toward the playoff places.

FAQ