Brighton and Brentford shared the points on Saturday in an exhilarating 3-3 draw that saw the Gulls equalize three separate times. The back-and-forth affair also saw a rare set piece you don’t see too often: an indirect free kick in the penalty area.
In the 11th minute Brentford were awarded the indirect free kick after Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán poked the ball back to Jason Steele who picked up the ball.
Indirect free kicks inside the box occasionally happen in youth soccer games, but hardly ever at the top level. The routine always looks peculiar as one team lines up their entire squad in front of goal.
In case you’re unfamiliar with how they work, the attacking team can’t shoot right away. A player must touch or pass the ball first before a shot can be taken. When the first player touches the ball, the defending team typically charges forward.
Here’s how it looked.
Brentford indirect free kick vs. Brighton
Not something you see everyday.
Brentford had an indirect free kick from the penalty spot.
: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #BHABRE pic.twitter.com/ZHI5aLBKZH— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2023
An indirect free kick inside the box is without a doubt the most beautiful sight in football. The chaos, the confusion. Hang it in the Louvre #BHAFC pic.twitter.com/qcZNrOA1L9
— We Are Brighton (@wearebrighton) April 1, 2023
Surprisingly this wasn’t the most chaotic moment of the game. Eight minutes after that set piece all hell broke loose inside the AmEx. Kaoru Mitoma equalized in the 21st minute for Brighton, but then Ivan Toney recaptured Brentford’s lead just a minute later.
Everything is happening at the AmEx!
Kaoru Mitoma chips Raya to level the match but Ivan Toney INSTANTLY puts Brentford back in front.
: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #BHABRE pic.twitter.com/jx2E8BpPwB— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2023
Danny Welbeck made it 2-2 in the 28th minute. The two sides were averaging a goal every seven minutes at that point.
Brentford made it 3-2 in the 49th minute through an Ethan Pinnock volley.
A game that saw so much drama had its climax in the 90th minute when Alexis Mac Allister scored a penalty kick for Brighton to tie the game one final time.
GOAL | Brighton 3-3 Brentford
⚽ Mac Allisterpic.twitter.com/b3QT7H4vBK— VAR Tático (@vartatico) April 1, 2023
Brighton and Brentford have both been outstanding the season with the Gulls in sixth place and the Bees in seventh tied on 43 points.
The Birds and the Bees aren’t messing around in 2023. Brentford travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday and Brighton will face Bournemouth on Tuesday.
