What a night in south London. Crystal Palace finally tasted UEFA Europa League football at Selhurst Park, and Pierre Sage’s men made sure it was an unforgettable occasion, hammering Polish champions Lech Poznań 4-0 to claim their biggest-ever win in Europe.
Forget the early-season noise and the frustrating weekend slip-up against Ipswich. From the first whistle to the last, the Eagles flew.
Fast Starts and Clinical Finishes
Lech Poznań actually threatened first when Mikael Ishak missed a glaring chance inside two minutes, but Palace quickly took control.
Yéremy Pino was unplayable all night, setting the tone with early efforts before pouncing on absolute chaos after 10 minutes. Poznań defender Terry Yegbe launched a careless throw-in straight into no man’s land. Pino alertly intercepted, bypassed his man, and lifted a brilliant finish over goalkeeper Mateusz Lis to send Selhurst Park wild.
Palace smelled blood. On 27 minutes, Adam Wharton delivered a pinpoint corner, and Chris Richards rose highest to crash a header past the bodies on the line, doubling the lead.
Just before the break, Pino danced his way into the box again and drew a clumsy foul. Up stepped Jørgen Strand Larsen to smash the resulting penalty into the top corner for his fourth goal in three games. At 3-0 down at halftime, the travelling supporters literally turned their backs to perform their famous dance—the game was already done.
Controlling the Second Half and Sempiternal Style
Sage’s side expertly managed the game after the restart, dominating possession and carving out more chances. Substitute Ismaïla Sarr made his return to action, and while his reception mixed cheers with a few boos after his failed summer move to Liverpool, the team’s focus remained locked on the pitch.
Poznań finished with 10 men after Radoslaw Murawski picked up a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on teenager Jaydee Canvot.
Palace applied the finishing touch in the 89th minute. Dwight McNeil spun in midfield and slipped an inch-perfect pass to Eddie Nketiah. The striker cut back onto his left foot and slotted past Lis to round off a resounding 4-0 victory.
The Takeaway
Sitting second in the league phase table behind only Juventus, Palace made a statement of intent on the European stage.
Now, Sage and his players need to take this momentum into Sunday’s tough Premier League trip to Leeds. If the Eagles play with this kind of energy, fearlessness, and attacking flair, their European adventure is just getting started.
