Crystal Palace proved too strong for Bosnian side Zrinjski to move into the last 16 of the Conference League.
The Eagles, competing in their first season of European football after winning the FA Cup in 2024-25, had drawn 1-1 in last week’s away leg in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
But Oliver Glasner’s side never looked in danger of conceding a goal and produced a dominant performance in the second leg at Selhurst Park to continue their European adventure.
Their opener came in the 36th minute when Maxence Lacroix headed into the net from five yards out following an excellent delivery from Adam Wharton with a free-kick close to the left touchline.
Evann Guessand had an effort saved and Ismaila Sarr headed wide and missed a one-on-chance, before Guessand scored with a hard, low strike in the second minute of stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Palace will now play either German side Mainz or Larnaca from Cyprus in the two-legged tie, with the first game at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 12 March, followed by the away match a week later.
Analysis: Palace’s turbulent season could still have magical ending
For Palace, this win continues a rollercoaster 12 months.
After beating Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup in May – the first major trophy in the club’s history – they followed that with more silverware by edging past Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties to clinch the Community Shield.
But, off the pitch, the club were unsuccessful in their legal attempt to stay in the Europa League, as they were then demoted to the third-tier Conference League after being in breach of multi-club ownership rules.
Eberechi Eze, who scored the winner in the cup final, joined Arsenal and captain Marc Guehi almost moved to Liverpool, only for the deal to fall apart as the Eagles could not sort out a replacement.
But Palace’s small squad has struggled with the extra amount of games, this one being their 43rd of the season, with a further 11 to come in the Premier League and a potential seven in the Conference League.
From December, they went on a 12-match run without a win and in January Glasner said he was leaving at the end of the season, with the news coming at the same time as Guehi’s move to Manchester City was going through.
Glasner, the most successful manager in the club’s history, then said he felt his squad were “being abandoned completely” by the Palace hierarchy, with many expecting those comments to lead to an immediate departure.
On top of that, top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta would have left for AC Milan in January if he had not failed a medical because of a knee injury.
They remain favourites to win the Conference League, despite only coming 10th in the league phase. The only surprise against Zrinjski, a strong and well-organised but limited side, was that Palace’s winning margin was not bigger.
Guessand, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Daichi Kamada all had goal-bound efforts deflected wide before Wharton provided the quality with a wonderful assist for Lacroix’s first-half goal.
Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson did not have a shot on target to deal with from the visitors, although Zrinjski’s only real chance came in the 91st minute with Tomi Juric heading wastefully wide, before Guessand scored to seal their place in the next round.
Their potential last-16 opponents will not cause any fear for Palace, as Mainz are 13th in the German Bundesliga, while Larnaca have scored only seven goals in six matches in the league phase.
But for now, Glasner stays in his role and the Eagles continue their pursuit of a trophy for the ultimate end to a campaign full of highs and lows.
What’s next?
Crystal Palace have back-to-back Premier League away games, against Manchester United on Sunday, 1 March (14:00 GMT) and Tottenham on Thursday, 5 March (20:00), before they return to European action.
However, they will not know whether their opponents are Mainz or Larnaca until the last-16 draw takes place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday (13:00).
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com