When the final whistle blew at the Marbella Football Center on July 21, 2025, the scoreboard read a tidy 2-0 in favor of the English side. But if you’re only looking at the score, you’re missing the actual story of Las Palmas vs Brighton. This wasn't just another sleepy summer friendly played under the scorching Andalusian sun. It was a tactical laboratory.
Brighton & Hove Albion arrived in Spain as a team in transition, still molding themselves under Fabian Hurzeler. Meanwhile, UD Las Palmas was trying to prove their technical, possession-heavy style could actually hurt a Premier League heavyweight. Honestly, for the first fifteen minutes, it looked like they might. Then, the "Brighton effect" kicked in.
The Chaos of a Two-Minute Blitz
Football is a game of moments. Sometimes those moments happen so fast you barely have time to check your phone before the game has completely flipped.
In the 15th minute, Yasin Ayari found himself unmarked in the box. A simple pass, a clinical finish, and suddenly Brighton were 1-0 up. Most teams would take a breath. Not this Albion side.
Barely sixty seconds later, Matt O’Riley—who was playing like he’d been in the squad for a decade rather than being a relatively fresh face—intercepted a sloppy pass from Mika Mármol. He spotted Dinko Horkas off his line. From 30 yards out, O’Riley unleashed a curling beauty that left the keeper in "no man's land."
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2-0. Just like that.
Why the Las Palmas vs Brighton Scoreline is Deceptive
If you talk to any Las Palmas die-hard, they’ll tell you the score didn't reflect the "feel" of the match. Luis García, the Las Palmas boss, was actually somewhat upbeat afterward. He claimed his side imposed their style and "deserved to achieve something more."
He wasn't just being a homer.
Jaime Mata had a massive chance early on that forced Jason Steele into a desperate save. Later in the second half, the Spanish side practically lived in Brighton’s half. Sory Kaba and Iñaki González both came close to pulling one back.
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- Possession: Las Palmas actually held their own, shifting the ball with that typical Canary Island fluidity.
- Goalies: Dinko Horkas, despite the O'Riley wonder-goal, made three or four world-class saves to keep the deficit from reaching embarrassing levels.
- The Subs: Both teams changed almost their entire XIs at halftime, which turned the second half into a bit of a disjointed scramble.
The Tactical Experiments You Might Have Missed
Fabian Hurzeler used this specific Las Palmas vs Brighton clash to test some pretty wild theories. The most interesting one? Mats Wieffer at right back.
You don't pay £25 million for a dominant PSV Eindhoven midfielder just to stick him on the touchline, right? Well, Hurzeler did exactly that. And it kinda worked. Wieffer looked comfortable, though he eventually drifted back into his natural habitat later in the summer.
We also saw the debut of the "relentless press" that has become Brighton's calling card in the 2025-26 season. Even in a friendly, they were hunting in packs. Yankuba Minteh was a nightmare for the Las Palmas defenders, hitting the post in the 70th minute after snatching the ball in a dangerous area.
Key Performers from the Match
| Player | Team | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Matt O'Riley | Brighton | A goal and an assist; absolute masterclass in midfield control. |
| Dinko Horkas | Las Palmas | Kept the score respectable with 4+ high-quality saves. |
| Yasin Ayari | Brighton | Proved he belongs in the rotation with a poacher's goal. |
| Mika Mármol | Las Palmas | Great on the ball, but his one error led directly to the second goal. |
The Injury Shadow
It wouldn't be a Brighton match without a bit of a medical scare. Facundo Buonanotte limped off in the 55th minute, which sent a collective shiver through the travelling Albion fans.
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Thankfully, it wasn't the disaster people feared, but it highlighted the one thing that still haunts Brighton: depth at the playmaker position. When O'Riley sits, the drop-off is noticeable.
What This Means for the Future
Looking back from the perspective of early 2026, this match was a massive turning point for several players.
For Brighton, it solidified Matt O'Riley as the centerpiece of their creative engine. He hasn't looked back since. For Las Palmas, it was a harsh lesson in Premier League efficiency. You can have all the 5-yard passes in the world, but if you switch off for 60 seconds against a team like Albion, you’re dead.
The "Seagulls" eventually went on to have a stellar start to their 2025-26 campaign, recently drawing 1-1 with Manchester City and knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup. Las Palmas, meanwhile, has been battling it out in the upper echelons of their respective table, showing that the technical foundations laid in matches like this one do eventually pay off.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Fans
- Watch the space, not the ball: If you go back and watch the highlights of the O'Riley goal, notice how he starts moving before the pass is even made. That’s elite anticipation.
- Don't overvalue preseason results: Brighton won 2-0, but Las Palmas actually "won" the second half in terms of expected goals (xG). Style of play matters more than the trophy-less win in July.
- Follow the young guns: Players like Yasin Ayari and Yankuba Minteh used this game to earn their spots in the 2026 starting lineups.
If you're tracking these two teams, keep an eye on how their tactical setups evolve. Brighton is moving toward a more versatile "positionless" system, while Las Palmas remains one of the few teams in Europe committed to a pure possession identity regardless of the opponent's stature.