Oliver Glasner has praised Crystal Palace for what he described as a “huge achievement” after sealing a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
Palace booked their spot in the last eight with a hard-fought extra-time win over AEK Larnaca, as Ismaila Sarr struck the decisive goal to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Despite facing nine men, the Eagles were pushed all the way, highlighting both their attacking intent and moments of vulnerability.
Reflecting on the performance, Glasner admitted his side made things harder than necessary but praised their response under pressure.
“I’m very pleased,” said Glasner. “It looks like in some games we make it very difficult for ourselves because I think after scoring the goal and controlling the game, and just giving them one set play and not defending it well.
“You can’t make mistakes because then of course the stadium, the crowd was back, but I think the reaction was great and we played forward, really increased the pressure.
“I think we could have decided it much earlier, we had plenty of chances at the end but if you just have to lead by one goal, everything can happen.
“We have seen with the set play by the referee, he thought it was a handball, fortunately, it was just a JP’s [Jean-Philippe Mateta] thigh.
“But a huge achievement for us, a huge achievement for Crystal Palace playing the quarter-final of the European competition.”
With progression secured, attention now shifts to a highly anticipated clash with Fiorentina.
Palace will host the first leg at Selhurst Park, with a three-week gap providing valuable time to regroup and prepare.
Looking ahead, the gaffer outlined plans to maintain momentum, including a friendly fixture and the expected return of key players such as Eddie Nketiah.
“We are looking forward [to it] and now really make the best with these three weeks because our next competitive game is against Fiorentina at Selhurst Park.
“We will have a few days off here, and many of our players go to their national team, and then we will prepare, we will make a friendly to stay in the rhythm, and then it’s good.
“I expect Eddie Nketiah back so everybody will help us because then it will be a very tight schedule until the end of the season, and hopefully our European journey continues.”
All in all, Palace’s European adventure continues to gather pace. With confidence growing and preparations underway, the upcoming quarter-final presents another opportunity to extend what is already a landmark campaign.
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