Brighton’s season started in earnest with a drab draw in the league Conference League Playoff In Norway.
Fabian Horzler’s team qualified for European football after finishing eighth last season, but lost Danny Welbeck and Jan-Paul van Hecke during the summer.
They seemed to lack attacking ideas in the difficult, tense and difficult first leg.
Horzler fielded new central defender Luka Vuckovic in a somewhat familiar if far from first-choice XI that looked like there was work to be done before the end of the transfer window.
Welbeck scored 14 goals last season and his goals and experience will be difficult to replace, while midfielder Carlos Paleba was excluded from the squad due to his link with a move to Manchester United.
The Seagulls dominated possession but found it difficult to break down an organized opposition. Georginio Rutter came close in the first half, before Bart Verbruggen had to make a superb save to deny Hein Oisin Larsen.
Substitute Charalambos Kostolas headed into the roof of the goal late on, but there was no breakthrough.
Brighton will host Tromsø in the return match next week, with the winner qualifying for the league stage of the Conference League.
Brighton reached the last 16 of the Europa League in the 2023-24 season before being eliminated by Roma.
They begin their Premier League campaign against Aston Villa on Sunday.
