- Crystal Palace beat Fiorentina 3-0
- Oliver Glasner pleased with performance
- Eagles have one foot in Europa Conference League semi-finals
Crystal Palace took one giant step towards the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina tonight (April 9th). The Eagles prevailed on home soil and took advantage in the tie ahead of the second leg on April 16th.
Oliver Glasner’s men put in a strong showing in the biggest game of their season thus far. They started brightly, and the opener came from the penalty spot.
Dodo brought Evann Guessand down in the box and Jean-Philippe Mateta stepped up to take it. The French striker sent David de Gea the wrong way to put his side one-nil ahead in the 24th minute.
Palace found a second seven minutes later when Tyrick Mitchell pounced on a loose ball after De Gea denied Mateta from point-blank range. The English left-back stole in at the far post and found the bottom corner of Fiorentina’s goal.
The Italians fared better in the second half and hit the crossbar through Giovanni Fabbian in the 51st minute. But the South Londoners were very rarely threatened and will head to Artemio Franchi Stadium in full control of the tie after Ismaila Sarr’s 90th-minute header made it three.
A Memorable Night
White ticker tape made its way from the stands and onto the pitch throughout the clash between Palace and Fiorentina. Glasner’s men ticked all the boxes with a ruthless showing that has well and truly backed up many people’s verdicts that they are favourites to win the Conference League.
Tonight was billed as the biggest game of the season, and the Eagles rose to the occasion. Mateta got his relationship with supporters back on track with his well-taken penalty.
The second was a moment for Mitchell to cherish as he scored just his seventh goal for the club. Sarr’s header now means he sits on six goals in eight Conference League games.
