Crystal Palace’s European adventure continued following a 2-0 (3-1 aggregate) win over Zrinjski Mostar last night. Oliver Glasner’s men reached the last 16 of the Europa Conference League courtesy of a victory at Selhurst Park.
A frustrating 1-1 draw away to the Bosnian minnows last Thursday heightened tension among Glasner fans. Victory at Selhurst Park was vital by any means necessary, and it wasn’t the best of performances, but his troops got the job done.
Maxence Lacroix opened the scoring with a 36th-minute header following Adam Wharton’s superb free-kick. The home supporters had to wait until the 90+3rd minute for the second, which came from Evann Guessand.
The Ivorian finished a slick counter-attacking move to seal Palace’s place in the last 16. They will face either German outfit Mainz or Cypriot side AEK Larnaca.
Henderson’s honesty
Dean Henderson had a quiet evening at Selhurst in the win over Zrinjski, with the visitors failing to register a single shot on target. But Igor Stimac’s men were stubborn defensively and coincided with the hosts’ wastefulness, which should have led to a more emphatic win.
The Eagles’ new captain is taking the role in his stride, and he was even seen applauding the away fans for their support. He spoke to TNT Sports after the win and gave an interesting assessment:
“Obviously, the lads did the job. They were fantastic, and I knew we’d get a good reaction. As the manager said it’s three in six [clean sheets]. And we’ve got to get back to that.”
Henderson highlighted the need to replicate performances from recent seasons, which helped the South Londoners achieve a debut European campaign:
“That’s what has made us successful over the past couple of seasons, being solid in defence and ruthless in attack. That’s the motto. We’ve just got to try and and build that momentum.”
Mainz is a tricky opposition, given they are mid-table in the Bundesliga, much like Palace in the Premier League. Larnaca boast a 1-0 win over the Eagles from the league phase.
Henderson added:
“We’re hungry for more. But I think it’s cliché in saying that it’s the next game that matters. But it’s the next game of the competition. We can’t run away with it. You don’t talk about winning three months out.”
The English shot-stopper touched on his side’s struggles when coming up against low blocks:
“Obviously, there’s some good teams in the competition. And as shown tonight, it’s difficult to break these low blocks down.”
He continued:
“I think we can be better at it, and I think we’ve just got to show improvement leading into the next games.”
Palace were the dominant side on Thursday and deserved their victory over a spirited Zrinjski side. They were made to work for it, and as Henderson pointed out, coming up against low blocks is a problem Glasner has yet to truly address.
It’s why some fans believed a change in manager was the best course of action, given a lack of results alongside unconvincing performances. The main talking point is that his troops have marched into the knockout rounds of European competition for the first time in the club’s history.
Glasner gives his verdict
The win over Zrinjski was vital for several reasons, including progressing to the last 16. It also helped alleviate some of the pressure growing over Glasner’s short-term future.
His side have now won two on the bounce after beating 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 last Sunday. Guessand might have played his way into a regular starting role heading into the final stretch of the season.
Glasner also spoke after the win about what his men learned from the dissapointing draw last week. He was pleased with the response:
“I think we learned the lessons from the away game, being more balanced and more patient. I think we controlled the game and just waited for the moments. We could have taken the lead a little bit earlier. Twice we were a little bit unlucky, two deflected balls, I think, from Evann Guessand and Daichi Kamada.”
Glasner touched on the goal and how his side stayed focused at the job at hand:
“Then, a good set-play, a good free-kick. And then we said at half-time ‘let’s keep the ball speed high and stick to the plan.’ Then, there would be moments when they would be more open and wait for the situations.”
He added:
“We could have decided the game a bit earlier, it took us into the stoppage time and then Evann Guessand decided the game. A second home win, back-to-back win at home, second clean sheet – a very good win.”
Glasner’s future has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks, including amongst the board. A second meeting was held within two months of the draw in Bosnia.
Steve Parish and his fellow higher-ups decided to continue with Glasner and allow the Austrian to see out the rest of the season. He is leaving when his contract expires in June, and a Conference League triumph is the ideal send-off.
