Oliver Glasner has expressed delight with Crystal Palace’s performance after they sealed a spot final of the Conference League with a 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Eagles reached their first-ever European final and have now become only the third English club to reach the final in their first ever season in major European competition, after West Ham United in the 1964-65 Cup Winners’ Cup and Newcastle United in the 1968-69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Palace won their first major trophy under Glasner by defeating Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final and added a second with victory over Liverpool in the FA Community Shield earlier in the season.
They could now win a third title in the space of one year, after overcoming the Ukrainian side over both legs, to the delight and satisfaction of Glasner.
“Great night here at Selhurst Park, a great European night and of course it was the right result”, Glasner said after the match.
“Huge achievement, huge congratulations and credit to the players. The commitment to the effort, the disciplined work, was, I would say, exceptional.
“I always believe that we have great chances of scoring goals. So, for me, the second goal was maybe if somebody needed the last evidence about the character of this group, because I think I complained to the forth official that the referee should whistle a foul because I think Jeremy Pino was fouled, and continued playing.”
Crystal Palace had recorded a 3-1 win from the first leg and sealed another 2-1 win in Thursday’s second leg.
The Eagles went ahead through an own goal from Pedrinho, but Shakhtar equalized before halftime through Eguinaldo.
Ismaila Sarr scored the winner, marking his 19th goal of the season, as they advanced to the final.
“Daichi Kamada was fouled, and continued playing.Tyrick Mitchell was fouled, and continued playing. And at the end, we all got the reward, which is Ismaila Sarr’s toenail and scoring a goal. So, yeah, huge performance and huge European night”, Glasner concluded.
Crystal Palace will now face Rayo Vallecano, who edged past Strasbourg, in the final of the competition at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on May 27.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
