Crystal Palace stand on the threshold of a historic achievement, needing only to protect a 3-1 aggregate lead against Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park to book a place in the Europa Conference League final – the first major European final in the club’s 119-year history. The Eagles, who have never before reached a continental decider, are one composed performance away from completing an unprecedented full set of three European finals featuring an English team this season, with a Premier League side already guaranteed to contest the Europa League showpiece.
Match action
The opening exchanges offered a reminder that Shakhtar, though two goals down from the first leg in Krakow, are not here merely to make up the numbers. Inside two minutes, Brazilian forward Elias sent a scuffed effort wide, a warning that Palace could not afford to coast. A minute later, Eguinaldo latched onto a pass from Elias and shot low at goalkeeper Dean Henderson, only for the offside flag to cut the attack short. Palace responded in the fourth minute, pouncing on a loose pass as Yeremy Pino fed Daichi Kamada down the left, but the move was swiftly snuffed out. The game paused in the fifth minute when Shakhtar’s Ocheretko clashed heads with Daniel Muñoz; the midfielder looked dazed after a brief consultation with the physio but continued.
Palace began to settle. In the seventh minute, Kamada linked with Pino, whose backheel momentarily checked Tyrick Mitchell’s forward momentum. Jean-Philippe Mateta then aimed a through ball for Ismaila Sarr in the eighth minute, only for the defence to cut it out. The Eagles thought they had broken the deadlock in the 12th minute: Chris Richards heaved the ball upfield, Mateta nodded it on, and Pino raced through to slot into the bottom corner. But a VAR check ruled the goal out for offside, the assistants eventually confirming Pino had strayed. At the other end, Alisson Santana attempted a scissor kick but failed to connect cleanly. The atmosphere, however, remained buoyant. “Glad All Over” had been bellowed around the ground before kick-off, and the Shakhtar players took to the pitch draped in Ukrainian flags – a poignant sight given the club’s decade-long displacement from Donetsk after military occupation forced them into exile.
Wider context
This night represents a quantum leap for a club whose European history amounts to little more than a solitary Intertoto Cup tie in 1998 and a handful of Anglo-Italian Cup outings. The most famous continental fixture at Selhurst Park before tonight was a 1962 friendly against Real Madrid, when Alfredo Di Stéfano graced the pitch and the visitors won 4-3. Palace’s 2024-25 European campaign began with a demotion from the Europa League due to multi-club ownership regulations, forcing them into the Conference League playoff round. They navigated that hurdle and then dispatched Zrinjski Mostar, AEK Larnaca and Fiorentina in the knockout rounds to reach this semi-final. Victory here would complete an English clean sweep of this season’s European finals – an unprecedented feat.
The other Conference League semi-final is finely balanced, with Spanish side Rayo Vallecano taking a slender 1-0 lead to Strasbourg for the second leg. Beyond that tie, the outcome of the Europa League semi-finals could ripple through the Champions League qualification landscape. SC Freiburg trail Sporting Braga 2-1 after the first leg, and the results in both competitions will influence the UEFA coefficient rankings that determine whether Spain or Germany secures a fifth Champions League spot for next season. In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are all locked on 58 points in the battle for fourth place, while in La Liga, Real Betis would be the likely beneficiaries of the extra berth.
Shakhtar Donetsk arrive carrying a story of resilience that transcends the scoreline. Forced to leave their home city and operate in exile due to ongoing conflict, they have maintained their standing as a force in Ukrainian football despite playing their “home” matches in Poland. One reader, Peter Oh, wrote in to express his admiration for the Polish FA and others who have provided a temporary home for Shakhtar and the Ukraine national team, noting that “the task of overturning the deficit is probably too much, but I’ll be rooting for them in their bid to see out this tie with pride.”
Manager’s thoughts
Oliver Glasner, who has announced he will leave Palace at the end of the season, has urged his players to resist any temptation to dwell on his impending departure. “I made my decision and I have my reasons, but we want to end the season in the best possible way – and now we have the chance to do it,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Now is not the time to get melancholic. It’s about staying focused. I tell the players very often: don’t do anything for me, do it for yourselves, do it for the club, do it for the fans, because winning the Conference League means European football again next year at Selhurst.”
Glasner, who has already guided Palace to FA Cup and FA Community Shield glory this season, added a characteristically wry note: “The players tasted the honey last year with the FA Cup. This year it’s the Conference League and they want honey again. They won’t be happy with just avocado, so they want it a bit sweeter.” His departure – attributed to a desire for a new challenge and possible dissatisfaction with the club’s transfer policy – has cast a shadow over the campaign, but on this crisp evening at Selhurst Park, the focus is squarely on the prize within reach. As the second half beckons, Palace know that 45 more minutes of disciplined football will earn them a place in a European final for the first time in their history – and a direct route back to continental competition next season.
