- Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk
- Eagles through to Conference League final
- Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta react
Adam Wharton has hailed the atmosphere at Selhurst Park after Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 (5-2 on aggregate) to advance to the UEFA Conference League final. The English midfielder put in an excellent display.
Palace took the lead through a Pedrinho own goal in the 25th minute. The visitors equalised when Eguinaldo’s strike left Dean Henderson with no chance in the 34th minute.
Ismaila Sarr came up with the winner in the 52nd minute, becoming the competition’s top goalscorer in the process. Oliver Glasner’s men will face Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig on May 27th.
Palace 2-1 Shakhtar: Wharton on ‘unbelievable’ fans
“This is the best Selhurst has been in my just over two years here. Atmosphere is unbelievable. You can tell how much it means to South London. It’s an incredible feeling and one I’ll never forget. You get goosebumps it’s incredible.”
Palace have encountered a rollercoaster ride of a season which even saw Glasner come under pressure in the winter. The frostiness dissipated and the Eagles started to fly as they did last year when they lifted the FA Cup.
Wharton has been at the heart of the South Londoners’ surge to the final. He controlled proceedings in the win tonight and put in the latest of a long list of brilliant performances.
The former Blackburn Rovers youngster added:
“This year in Europe, first time in Europe. For a club like Palace it’s massive. It’s incredibly difficult with so many more fixtures. Small squad. We were running thin in December and January it was tough but we grinded through it and this is the reward.”
Palace are now just one game away from winning their first-ever European trophy. A trip to Leipzig will be Glasner’s final outing as the Eagles boss.
“We Party” – Mateta
Jean-Philippe Mateta was inevitably in party mood after Palace’s win and he couldn’t hide his joy. The French frontman even had a heartwarming exchange with Joel Ward who worked on punditry duties with TNT Sports on the night.
Mateta said:
“I’m very happy, Crystal Palace we did it, we’re in the final and now we focus on the final.”
He added:
“We do the party, we celebrate for the final and after we focus on the final. Only in the dressing room (party).”
The Palace players deserve to party and enjoy another famous night in European football. It’s been quite the journey for the club and it isn’t done yet.
