Crystal Palace earned a commanding 3-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday, putting Oliver Glasner’s side in a strong position to reach the final in Leipzig on May 27. The match, played at the Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana saw Palace race into the lead within the first 21 seconds when Ismaila Sarr combined neatly with Jean Philippe Mateta to sweep into the far corner. Sarr’s strike made him the joint top scorer in the competition and the owner of the fastest goal in the competition’s history.
Shakhtar equalised just after the break when Oleh Ocheretko finished from close range following a poorly defended corner in the 47th minute. However, Palace restored their lead in the 58th minute when Daichi Kamada struck a well-taken second goal after Sarr and Mateta had drawn a fantastic double save from Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.Â
The visitors sealed the victory in the 84th minute when Kamada turned over the ball inside his own half and spotted the surging run of substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen, who beat Riznyk with a composed dink to make the score 3-1.
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Despite Shakhtar dominating possession statistics, Palace created more sustained and better scoring threats throughout the match, with expected goals values of 2.31 for Palace against 1.06 for Shakhtar. Palace held only 29 percent possession but still managed to convert their opportunities effectively.
The second leg will take place at Selhurst Park in south London, where Palace will look to protect their two-goal advantage and secure a place in the final.
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