Brighton & Hove Albion secured qualification for the European Championship next season for the first time in its history, after beating Southampton 3-1 in the English Premier League today, Sunday.
Brighton ranks sixth with 61 points, and Tottenham Hotspur, eighth in the ranking, cannot catch up with it, which means that it is within qualification for a European championship, whether it is the European League or the Conference League.
And after Kauru Mitoma and Carlos Alcaraz missed two chances after a promising start for the hosts, Brighton advanced with a goal in the 29th minute with a powerful shot from young Ivan Ferguson past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
The Japanese, Mitoma, skillfully dodged his rival, Romeo Lavia, on the left side, before setting up the second goal for his colleague Ferguson, after a perfect pass.
Mohamed El-Younesi narrowed the deficit to Southampton in the 58th minute, but Pascal Gross then settled the victory for the home side after a powerful low shot into the net.
Southampton, bottom of the standings, who were earlier relegated to the second division, froze at 24 points.