Brighton saw off Roma 3:0 in a Club Friendlies fixture on Friday evening, with the hosts controlling proceedings from the opening whistle. The match took place at the Amex Stadium on August 8th, 2026, and finished as a straightforward afternoon for the home side. To be fair, Roma arrived with recent wins against Newport and Verona, but those results meant little on the day. Brighton's performance echoed their 3:0 victory over Wolves earlier in the season, another clean sheet in a familiar pattern.
Groothuizen's side took the lead in the twenty-ninth minute when G. Rutter found the net, and here's the thing — it came after sustained pressure rather than a moment of magic. Brighton had already registered six shots by then, something that suggested they knew what they wanted. The visitors offered no response, their goalkeeper making just three saves across the entire match. Roma's expected goals total of 0.69 told you everything about their attacking contribution.
The second goal arrived at half-time, with Y. Ayari scoring in the fifty-minute mark to put the result beyond doubt. By then Roma had barely threatened, managing only four dribbles against Brighton's fifteen. The visitors created zero big chances while the hosts produced four, a gap that reflected the quality of opportunities on offer. Roma's shots accuracy of zero per cent meant they simply did not travel to make up the numbers.
Coaches from both sides made heavy changes as the match progressed, though Brighton's substitutions told a different story. G. Rutter was withdrawn in the sixty-first minute after his goal, while Roma brought on P. Dybala and D. Malen in an attempt to find something. Wesley Franca and Y. Ayari both came off in the eighty-fifth minute, the home side managing their resources without urgency. The old head settled them down when it mattered.
The statistics confirmed what the eye test showed, with Brighton holding 60 per cent possession and completing 488 passes against Roma's 291. They registered 102 attacks to the visitors' 73, and their expected goals of 1.3 versus 0.69 painted a clear picture. Roma made 16 fouls but won 16 free kicks, while Brighton's 17 fouls yielded only five. The visitors blocked six shots but created nothing to match Brighton's four big chances.
What this means is straightforward — Brighton have shown they can move forward with confidence after their recent results. They beat Strachbourg 4:3 on their opening pre-season fixture before this comfortable victory. Roma's run of mixed results, including defeats to Cardiff and Newport, suggests they have work to do. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the performance spoke for itself.