The FA
Brighton & Hove Albion were appearing in their first Adobe Women's FA Cup Final
Brighton & Hove Albion manager Dario Vidosic was left with nothing but pride in his players despite a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley.
The Seagulls were more than a match for their opponents and had the better of the opening 30 minutes, before a double City sucker punch through goals from Khadija Shaw and Alex Greenwood put the Barclays Women’s Super League champions in control at the break.
That took the wind out of Brighton sails and despite a spirited second-half effort, goals from substitutes Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema put the tie to bed.
But Vidosic was left pleased with how his side acquitted themselves in their club’s first-ever major final and hopes it provides the platform for more in the future.
'Father, coach, mentor. We hope we made you proud.'
A touching moment before the final as Brighton unveiled a tifo in honour of manager Dario Vidošić’s dad Rado who passed away earlier this year
📸 @GirlsontheBall pic.twitter.com/7q5X1bOQB4
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 31, 2026
“As much as we will be disappointed with today, I think the result is a little bit unfair on the girls for the way they performed and their effort today,” he said.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we were fighting to get five minutes against a City team. To do what we did today at Wembley, the first time these girls are experiencing this day, to be that brave, I am really proud. There is a lot to look forward to.
“[We wanted] to show that bravery and play the way we did, to pin them back and we were causing them a lot of issues.
“We created some okay chances as well, there was some last-ditch defending and the last ball let us down.
“We want to keep taking these steps, we will gain a lot of confidence not just from today but from previous weeks.
“It fills us with a lot of confidence through the disappointment. It will hurt for a bit but hopefully we can use that motivation and that fire for next season.”
Brighton’s bright start will give Vidosic the most encouragement, as they showed no nerves on such a big occasion.
Fran Kirby and Kiko Seike regularly linked up well and both had chances inside the first half hour, with the latter firing over the bar after Kirby tried to round Ayaka Yamashita.
They were made to pay almost immediately as Shaw headed home from close range with seven minutes of the first half remaining, before Greenwood doubled the lead on the stroke of half time.
Those few minutes ultimately decided the tie, but Vidosic was resolute that the result would not define Brighton’s season, which also saw a seventh-place finish in the league.
The hope for the Australian now is that he can keep the bulk of his squad together as they look to build on their success in both league and cup.
“To build you need to have that core together to keep learning and growing together,” he added. “I think it’s important we keep as many as we possibly can together.
“We will see how we go in the summer in terms of players that could potentially be coming to the club. We will play to players’ strengths.
“The idea of how we want to play will stay the same, but it will depend on the players. We can’t ask someone to do something they can’t do or are uncomfortable with.”
Before the match, Brighton fans unveiled a tifo dedicated to Vidosic’s father, Rado, who died in January.
It was a touching moment for the Brighton boss, who knew his dad was supporting from afar.
“It was a beautiful thing to see,” he said. “Thank you to the club and the fans.
“Each day is different, some days are a little bit easier, some days are tough. Dad would’ve been here with us, and he would’ve loved to be a part of today and I am sure he was, in a way. He probably had the best seat in the house watching it.
“It was a good game, two good teams trying to go at it, toe-to-toe. Irrespective of the result, he would have been very proud of us.”