Crystal Palace reached their first-ever European final after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals at Selhurst Park on Thursday night.
Holding a 3-1 advantage from the first leg in Poland, Palace completed a 5-2 aggregate victory with a 2-1 win in the return fixture.
The hosts nearly extended their lead early in the match when Yeremy Pino finished calmly after racing through on goal, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Palace eventually broke the deadlock in the 25th minute after Adam Wharton’s long-range strike was parried by goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk into the path of Daniel Munoz, whose dangerous low cross was turned into the net by Pedro Henrique for an own goal.
Shakhtar responded strongly and levelled the score on the night through Eguinaldo, who curled a fine effort into the top corner after receiving a pass from Pedro Henrique.
Jean-Philippe Mateta came close to restoring Palace’s lead before half-time but saw his acrobatic scissor-kick strike the post.
The Eagles sealed victory in the second half when Ismaila Sarr stretched to convert Tyrick Mitchell’s low cross, securing Palace’s passage to the final. The goal was Sarr’s ninth in the competition, making him the outright top scorer this season.
The victory marks another milestone for Palace under manager Oliver Glasner, who will leave the club at the end of the season.
Palace will now face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany, after the Spanish side eliminated Strasbourg in the other semi-final.
The Eagles’ European run comes after a memorable campaign in which they also won the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history and defeated Liverpool in the Community Shield.
