Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano: Jean-Philippe Mateta the hero as Eagles clinch Conference League | OneFootball

Oliver Glasner goes out on a high with third major honour in just over a year

Crystal Palace have been crowned Conference League champions after beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final.

The Frenchman is something of an unlikely hero after he tried to push through a January transfer to AC Milan, but the deal ultimately fell through after he failed his medical.

He has completed his redemption arc here, though, scoring the vital goal which saw the Eagles come out on top in this, the club’s first-ever European final, as some 10,000 fans watched on from a viewing party back at Selhurst Park.

The title comes just one year and ten days after Palace stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup final to secure the club’s first major honour of any description.

Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates the winner in the Conference League final

Getty

Oliver Glasner was already hailed as one of the finest managers in the club’s history after delivering that historic afternoon at Wembley Stadium, and will now bid the club farewell after steering it to a first European title.

Crystal Palace will next season return to what they will feel is their rightful place in the Europa League, for which they qualified by winning the FA Cup but were demoted after falling foul of multi-club ownership regulations.

After being booted out of that competition in a courtroom, Palace and Glasner did their talking on the pitch.

In his farewell match, the Austrian all that was required of him at the Red Bull Arena as he managed Palace through a nervy game in a cauldron of noise.

There was nothing to separate the two sides come half-time after a cagey opening period which did not feature a shot on target.

Oliver Glasner gave Crystal Palace a perfect parting gift

PA

Tyrick Mitchell had a chance to open the scoring as he headed wide from close range after a perfect cross from Adam Wharton on the stroke of half-time, but ultimately the two sides headed in goalless at the break.

But the Eagles were much improved after the break, and Mateta finally broke the deadlock as he tapped home from close range after Augusto Batalla parried Wharton’s long-range effort into his path, sending the raucous blue-and-red half of the stadium into rapture.

From then the Eagles ran rampant, but struggled to find a second goal of the night as Yeremy Pino rattled both posts with a free kick and Mateta was denied brilliantly by the outstretched leg of Batalla.

The match grew frantic in the closing stages as Rayo pushed hard for an equaliser, which would have forced extra-time, but no such goal came and the Eagles head back to southeast London with the trophy in tow.