- Albion draw 1-1 with Portsmouth
- Brett Pittman gives Portsmouth the lead
- Anthony Knockaert scores an equaliser in the third period
- A different Seagulls eleven will face Charlton Athletic this evening
Brighton & Hove Albion continued their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre on Tuesday morning.
The two teams shared the spoils in a contest played across three 25-minute periods in hot and sunny conditions, as Brett Pittman’s opener was cancelled out by Anthony Knockaert.
Pompey had the first opening of the game, as Jamal Lowe sent an effort towards goal which was cleared away by Ben White from inside the box, before Anthony Knockaert drove in from the right flank and saw his speculative attempt from distance sail over the crossbar.
Pompey came within inches of breaking the deadlock when Brett Pittman met a corner into the box with a diving header that cannoned off the far post, and Knockaert was then involved in the thick of things going forward for the Seagulls once again when he teed up Beram Kayal on the edge of the area, but the latter’s effort was blocked at the end of a lively first period.
Pittman took advantage of a lapse in concentration at the start of the second period, and played Ronan Curtis through on goal, but Ryan was on hand to thwart the latter.
Knockaert showed some neat footwork to brilliantly evade Matt Clarke’s challenge and drove straight to the byline, but his subsequent cross didn’t find an Albion player in the area.
Brandon Haunstrup was next to cause the Albion defence problems with a dangerous corner into the box, which found Pittman, but Ben White did enough to snuff out the danger.
Pittman was a constant threat for the visitors, and his set-piece delivery from just outside the box went narrowly wide of the far post with Ryan at full stretch.
The visitors took the lead a minute after the restart when Christian Burgess headed Adam May’s corner goalwards, but Pittman appeared to get the final touch and bundled the ball over the line.
Hugo Keto was one of four substitutes introduced ahead of the third and final 25 minutes, and he made a fine save to deny Pittman from getting his and Pompey’s second of the game.
Ezequiel Schelotto thought he had restored parity to the scoreline moments later after he worked his way into the area and saw his shot hit the post, before Tomer Hemed was crowded out on the rebound.
Oliver Norwood delivered an enticing free-kick into the path of Kayal, but the Israeli midfielder headed just wide from close range.
The equaliser came courtesy of Knockaert, as the Frenchman nodded home Hemed’s cross from the right-hand with 65 minutes on the clock.
Hemed and Knockaert both had chances to win the game late on, but it ended all square before a second Albion eleven face Charlton Athletic at The Valley this evening.
ALBION: Ryan (Keto 51); Schelotto, Duffy, White (Collar 51), Bong (Mandroiu 51); Knockaert, Bissouma (Gyokeres 51), Kayal, Suttner; Norwood; Hemed.
SUBS NOT USED: Moore, J.Davies.