Kiko Seike scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn Brighton & Hove Albion Women a 2-2 draw away to promoted Birmingham City. The late strike cancelled out goals from Oceane Hurtre and Lily Crosthwaite, with Olivia Garcia having begun the comeback for the visitors in the 77th minute.
Arturo Ruiz's side are now unbeaten in their last two Women's Super League fixtures, following an opening-day defeat to Arsenal. The dramatic point was secured at St Andrew's, where Birmingham, last season's WSL 2 champions, were chasing their first win back in the top flight.
Late drama denies hosts
Brighton had trailed for much of the contest after Hurtre's early opener and Crosthwaite's second-half finish. They saw two first-half penalty appeals waved away before Garcia pulled a goal back with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining. The Seagulls piled on the pressure late on, and their persistence was rewarded when Seike found the net, assisted by Fran Kirby who was marking her 150th WSL appearance.
Birmingham head coach Amy Merricks, who previously worked at Brighton, said her team "will continue to stick to their attacking principles". Her goalkeeper, former Brighton player Sophie Baggaley, made eight saves to keep her old club at bay for long periods.
Context and next steps
The draw leaves Brighton with four points from their first three matches. The team's current injury list includes several key players, which head coach Ruiz will need to handle.
Brighton's next assignment is a home fixture against Manchester United Women on September 20th, as they look to build momentum from this resilient away performance.
