Palace finally back in Europa League after Conference triumph

BENGALURU: It was the tournament they never wanted to be in.

Yet Crystal Palace were celebrating wildly on Wednesday after beating Rayo Vallecano to lift Europe’s Conference League trophy in one of the greatest days of their history and a perfect farewell to Austrian coach Oliver Glasner.

The London club had been due to play in the more prestigious Europa League – but dropped to the continent’s third-tier club tournament due to multi-club ownership rules.

Now their 1-0 win against the Spanish LaLiga team in Leipzig, thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta, puts them back in the coveted Europa League for next season.

“Now Crystal Palace is there where they should be,” said Glasner, 51, after his final match at the helm.

“The Europa League is one year delayed … (but) the club, the fans, the players get what they deserve.”

Palace fans wept, danced and sang in the Red Bull Arena, with thousands more partying on the streets of Leipzig and others at Selhurst Park in south London watching on a screen.

“I feel fantastic,” said goalscorer Mateta, shouting and jumping for joy on the pitch. “We did it. First time in Europe. We did it. Now I just want to celebrate. I just want to party.”

Third trophy under Glasner

Palace’s first European triumph – in their first European campaign – added to two domestic triumphs, the FA Cup and the Community Shield, won last year during Glasner’s remarkable tenure since taking charge in February 2024.

“It’s something that you dream of but you don’t think is reality,” left-back Tyrick Mitchell, a Crystal Palace academy graduate, told broadcaster TNT. “I’m just proud of everyone, past and present, that helped us get to this point.”

Midfielder Adam Wharton, who missed the FA Cup celebrations due to a head injury, said he was looking forward to making up for it by partying the night away after the Conference League final – albeit with a slight delay for a routine doping test.

“It’s incredible. You see what it means to south London, the fans,” he said. “I missed the FA Cup last year so I’ve got two celebrations to catch up on.”

He and other players poured praise onto their manager.

Good guys win in the end

“The difference he’s made in two-and-a-half years is incredible. First three trophies in the history of the club. First European competition. Winning it. Unbelievable,” Wharton said. “He’s got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had … He’s completely changed the way the club looks at competitions.”

Palace chairman Steve Parish said just travelling around Europe was an incredible novelty for the club so actually winning the tournament was taking time to sink in.

It has been an incredible season for Palace with 60 games played – from the low of an FA Cup exit at the hands of non-league opposition to Wednesday’s dazzling European success.

“When I bought the club I wasn’t sure we’d ever play in Europe, let alone win a trophy. It’s a dream come true,” said Parish. “The players, the staff, all of the ups and downs we’ve had this season, it’s brilliant to get here and to get into the Europa League where we deserve to be. It just shows that sometimes the good guys win in the end.”

المصدر: Free Malaysia Today