Three things we learned from Crystal Palace win as Oliver Glasner game plan pays off perfectly | OneFootball

Ismaila Sarr leads fast start as Eagles brush aside Shakhtar to put one foot in Conference League final

Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 away from home to take a commanding first-leg lead in their Conference League semi-final tie.

Palace took the lead inside 21 seconds as Ismaila Sarr raced clear to finish past Dmytro Riznyk.

But Shakhtar started the second half as Palace had the first to draw level when Oleh Ocheretko fired home from a corner.

Palace responded superbly to Shakhtar’s equaliser and regained the lead after 58 minutes as Daichi Kamada netted low through a crowded box.

Jorgen Strand Larsen then came off the bench to give Palace breathing room in the tie as he finished off a fine counter-attacking move.

Sarr settles early nerves

No player has scored more goals in the Conference League this season than Sarr.

The Senegalese winger has made this tournament his own, and his return from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has propelled Palace out of their mid-winter slump and in contention for European glory.

Racing on to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s pass, Sarr slotted home comfortably to hand Palace the dream start at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium.

In scoring the fastest goal ever recorded in the Conference League, Sarr settled any early Palace nerves with his eighth in the competition.

Having been pegged back early in the second half, Sarr should have restored Palace’s lead after being set through on goal after more good work by Mateta.

A constant threat, he then came agonisingly close to reacting to Mateta’s shot off the post moments before Kamada fired Palace back into the lead.

It is no coincidence that when Sarr has been on the pitch, Palace have looked a different proposition in Europe.

The Eagles are peaking at just the right time, and so is Sarr, who has scored seven goals in all competitions since returning from AFCON.

Palace put one foot in Conference League final

Palace delivered a clinical performance in Krakow to take the sting out of Shakhtar’s energetic young team and secure a commanding first-leg lead.

For Shakhtar, just being in the semi-final was a point of immense pride for their director of football, Darijo Srna.

This is the youngest team in the club’s history, and Arda Turan is their youngest manager. Amid the backdrop of war, it is no surprise they have developed such resilience.

Unlikely hero: Daichi Kamada scored his first Crystal Palace goal since October 2024 to restore their lead

PA

Shakhtar were not deterred by Sarr’s early goal, and their dominance quickly told after the break as Ocheretko was first to meet Kaua Elias’ knockdown to level the score.

Palace, however, reacted superbly to Shakhtar’s leveller to regain the lead just before the hour mark.

When Palace wanted to go through the gears, they were able to, showing their class to take the game away from Shakhtar late on.

A tale of two fast starts

In a hotly contested semi-final, it was imperative that if either side were going to take control, they would have to hold their concentration.

As it was, both teams were guilty of letting their guard down at the start of each half as Palace scored with the game's first attack before Shakhtar drew level two minutes after the break.

In a game that ebbed and flowed, Palace were ultimately the more clinical of the two and can count themselves unlucky not to have taken an even healthier lead back to London.

Sarr and Mateta both should have added to Palace’s tally as the Eagles routinely got into good positions in the final third.

This was an archetypal Palace performance, defending stoically and breaking forward incisively.

Despite enjoying less than 30 per cent possession, they produced seven shots on target to Shakhtar’s solitary effort on goal.

Shakhtar are young and energetic, but by the same measure, they are also impetuous. Palace, on the other hand, are well-drilled.

This will have been a learning curve for Shakhtar, who were sucker-punched on the break by Strand Larsen.

Palace, meanwhile, did exactly what they had to as they executed Oliver Glasner’s game plan to perfection.