Palace take giant step towards Conference League semi-final
Crystal Palace 3 - 0 Fiorentina
Jean-Philippe Mateta ended a long wait for a goal as Crystal Palace swept aside Fiorentina in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final
Author | Ajay
Stadium | Selhurst Park
Mateta, making his first start since a proposed move to AC Milan fell through, opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was brought down by Dodô.
The French forward was also involved in Palace’s second seven minutes later. His close-range effort was kept out by David de Gea, but the rebound fell kindly for Tyrick Mitchell to finish.
Ismaïla Sarr all but secured Palace’s place in the final four with a late header from Daichi Kamada’s cross, capping a commanding performance.
Mateta, who replaced the suspended Jørgen Strand Larsen, looked sharp throughout after scoring a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier in the week.
The two players that stood out for Palace
If there were any lingering doubts over Jean-Philippe Mateta’s commitment to Crystal Palace following his failed January departure, they have, for now, been set aside.
Palace are venturing into unfamiliar territory in European competition and the pre-match scene, with flags, banners and a cascade of white streamers greeting the players, heightened the sense of occasion.
After a season that has repeatedly flirted with crisis, a quarter-final against a Fiorentina side that had reached the semi-finals in each of the previous three campaigns might have proved a step too far.
Oliver Glasner’s team were clinical when it mattered. They struck twice while in control during the first half and added a late third to extinguish any hopes of a Fiorentina comeback.
Glasner has come under scrutiny from supporters in recent months, but he deserves credit here for his selections. The inclusion of Daniel Muñoz brought much-needed width and quality down the right, while the introduction of Yeremy Pino midway through the second half injected energy and helped Palace reassert their press as Fiorentina struggled to gain a foothold before the interval.
