Brighton defeated AEK Athens 1-0 in Group B of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League held at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece at 2:45 a.m. on Sunday. Brighton (10 points) maintained its second place.
Brighton won the game anew. João Pedro tripped over the opponent’s defense in the penalty box at 10 minutes in the second half. The referee declared a penalty kick (PK) after VAR. Pedro finished the game as a kicker, and Brighton, who saved one goal, won 1-0. This will enable Brighton to advance to the UEFA UEL finals for the first time in its club. He will play his best in the remaining six games to avoid going through the playoffs.
Mitoma started the game. Mitoma played as a left wing forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Mitoma played on the ground for about 69 minutes, but was replaced without showing any significant performance. As he failed to achieve the point of attack again on the day, he has been silent in the last eight games. 토토사이트
Mitoma is one of the promising players in Japan. After making his professional debut in Kawasaki Frontale in 2020, he scored five consecutive goals from his first season. In addition to his performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he received a love call from Brighton and moved to Brighton after one season of rental.
When he appeared like a comet last season, he drew attention. In the beginning of the transfer, he failed to receive much attention. Under Graham Potter, Mitoma did not receive much attention. However, the number of starting pitchers gradually increased after Roberto De Zerbi took office.
Mitoma had seven goals and six assists in the first season after its debut in the Premier League (PL). As a Japanese national, the Japanese national will not only score the most points in a single PL season, but also score the most points in offense. The previous record of most goals scored by Japanese players in the Premier League was six goals and four assists (2012-13 season) recorded by Shinji Kagawa at the Manchester United, and six goals and three assists (2017-18 season) by Shinji Okazaki at the Leicester City. Mitoma is set to surpass the two players in just one season.
He is an athlete who excels in dribbling. Mitoma boasts explosive speed and dribbles to break down the opponent. On top of that, he has good basic skills, so he has a simple touch and good balance of body, so he dribbles in a low position.
He was also nominated for the PL Team of the Season-TOTS. Brighton also finished the season sixth along with Mitoma, Pascal Gross, Solly March, Evan Ferguson, and Julio Ensiso. Brighton thus achieved the feat of advancing to the UEFA UEL for the first time in the club’s history.
Mitoma has displayed sharpness in this season as well. He accumulated one goal and one assist against Wolverhampton and scored multiple goals for Bournemouth, recording three goals and three assists through the sixth round this season. However, his performance has remained silent since October. Mitoma has failed to score a goal in a total of six matches from Round 7 to Round 12 of the PL. He has only one assist in the UEFA UEL.
Although Mitoma received so much attention that he was once compared to Son Heung-min, he remains quiet after renewing his contract. Mitoma renewed his four-year contract in October, confirming his company through 2027. However, he has been mired in slump since then.
