Crystal Palace's Conference League hopes dented in France

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Strasbourg 2 - 1 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s impressive run came to an end as they slipped to defeat against Strasbourg in the Conference League.

Author | James Lees

Stadium | Stade de la Meinau

Conference League | Strasbourg v Crystal Palace | View from the stands

Tyrick Mitchell broke the deadlock after 35 minutes with a crisp finish across goal, latching on to a clever pass from Jean Philippe Mateta. Palace, unbeaten in five, should have added a second on the stroke of half time but Ismaila Sarr struck the post from distance after Strasbourg keeper Mike Penders had surrendered possession, leaving his goal unguarded.

The French side were level eight minutes into the second half when Emanuel Emegha, who is set to join Chelsea next summer, steered in a low ball from Diego Moreira. Penders was soon exposed again, caught out of position as Adam Wharton clipped the crossbar from range.

The goalkeeper redeemed himself moments later with a sharp stop to deny Yeremy Pino at close quarters, yet Palace’s wastefulness proved costly. Julio Enciso’s free kick rattled the bar with 13 minutes remaining and Samir el Mourabet reacted quickest to turn in the rebound.

Palace face uphill battle to reach the top eight

Crystal Palace were left ruing a series of missed opportunities after failing to take anything from a match in which they created two open-goal chances, registered 16 attempts, and recorded 40 touches in the Strasbourg penalty area.

The encounter carried echoes of their Conference League defeat to AEK Larnaca in October. Despite dictating long stretches of both games, Oliver Glasner’s side has now recorded two wins and two losses in the league phase, with their defeats marked by wastefulness rather than weakness.

With only six fixtures in this stage, Palace face a steep challenge to secure a top eight finish, the threshold that guarantees a direct route to the last 16. Their reverse on Thursday, the first since losing to Arsenal in the Premier League on 26 October, leaves them 18th in the standings.

Any side finishing outside the top 24 after six matches bows out of the competition, a prospect Palace will be keen to avoid as the pressure tightens. The night brought further concern when Will Hughes was forced off in the first half after taking a heavy knock to his knee.

Location: 12 Rue de l'Extenwoerth, 67100 Strasbourg, France

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