Key events
“Glad All Over” is bellowed out around the ground as both sets of players walk on, the Shakhtar team draped in Ukraine flags. Kick-off is moments away …
There is, of course, another big European tie tonight. With an English team guaranteed to reach the Europa League final, Palace are bidding to complete an unprecedented full set of three European finals featuring an English team this season.
It’s been a busy week for this sort of thing …
“I live in a part of California with a sizeable community of Ukrainian expats and have met many cool people through pickup footy,” writes Peter Oh. “I wanted Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup and I feel for Shakhtar Donetsk, having been displaced from their home city and ground due to military occupation.
“The task of overturning the deficit is probably too much, but I’ll be rooting for them in their bid to see out this tie with pride. And if the Fifa Peace Prize were a legitimate award, the Polish FA and others who have worked to provide a temporary home for Shakhtar and the Ukraine team would be worthy winners.” Well said, sir.
Rogorn Magadorn has run the numbers so you (I) don’t have to …
“In today’s two European semi-finals not involving English teams it could be decided which other nation will get a fifth Champions League team (via league placing). It’s either Spain or Germany, and it all depends not on Bayern or Real Madrid, but on Freiburg (who face Braga in the Europa semis) and Rayo Vallecano.
“If one of the two makes it to their final and the other doesn’t, their country will get that fifth spot. If none make it, Spain get it. If both make it, then it gets more complicated, as it could depend on whether Rayo made it by drawing, losing or winning their game today.”
In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are currently battling for fourth place, all locked on 58 points. In La Liga, it’s likely that Real Betis would benefit, as they currently sit in fifth place.
In his pre-game presser, Oliver Glasner warned his players to focus on tonight, and not his impending departure. “I made my decision and I have my reasons, but we want to end the season in the best possible way – and now we have the chance to do it.
“Now is not the time to get melancholic. It’s about staying focused. I tell the players very often: don’t do anything for me, do it for yourselves, do it for the club, do it for the fans, because winning the Conference League means European football again next year at Selhurst.”
“The players tasted the honey last year with the FA Cup. This year it’s the Conference League and they want honey again. They won’t be happy with just avocado, so they want it a bit sweeter.” Honey and avocado? Maybe he’s after the Fulham job.
Team news
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Henderson (c); Richards, Lacroix, Convot; Muñoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Pino.
Subs from: Matthews, Benítez, Lerma, Johnson, Clyne, Hughes, Strand Larsen, Riad, Rodney, Devenny, Cardines.
Shakhtar Donetsk (4-1-4-1): Riznyk; Tobias, Bondar, Matviyenko (c), Pedro Henrique; Ocheretko; Alisson Santana, Pedrinho, Marlon Gomes, Eguinaldo; Kauã Elias.
Subs from: Tvardovskyi, Traoré, Kryskiv, Newertton, Isaque, Azarov, Ghram, Bondarenko, Nazaryna, Lucas Ferreira, Luca Meirelles, Obah.
Tonight’s other semi-final features Rayo Vallecano and Strasbourg, with the Spanish side taking a slender 1-0 first-leg lead with them to France.
Quick GuideRayo grab lead over Strasbourg in other semi-final
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Alemão glanced in the only goal to give Rayo Vallecano a precious 1-0 lead in the Uefa Conference League semi-final first leg against visiting Strasbourg on Thursday.
In a meeting between two teams seeking to reach a first European final, Alemão rose at the near post in the 54th minute to meet a Unai López corner. He missed the ball with his head but it hit his right shoulder and lobbed in to the far corner of the net.
In an energetic but scrappy match in which the hosts collected four yellow cards and the visitors five, the French side started strongly.
Roared on by a raucous crowd at their 15,000-capacity Vallecas Stadium in Madrid, the hosts wrested away control. They managed 24 strikes at goal compared to Strasbourg’s total of five. AFP
Ed was also in Krakow for that first leg, where Palace took a very early lead and largely kept their hosts at bay, winning 3-1. Perhaps that’s where Luis Enrique and PSG got the idea.
Despite arriving here two goals behind after the first leg in Poland, Shakhtar Donetsk cannot be written off. As Ed Aarons writes, the Ukrainian club have overcome much greater struggles in the last 10 years.
Preamble
Back in April 1962, Crystal Palace hosted Real Madrid in a friendly to christen Selhurst Park’s new floodlights. Alfredo Di Stéfano graced the pitch with “effortless ease at walking pace” (according to the Croydon Advertiser) and his team ran out 4-3 winners.
Save for a solitary Intertoto Cup tie and a few Anglo-Italian Cup outings, that was pretty much it for Palace and European football, until this very season. It’s been a steep learning curve – demoted from Europa to Conference League, Palace had to progress via the playoff round while planning for the summer departure of Oliver Glasner.
Having dispatched Zrinjski Mostar, AEK Larnaca and Fiorentina in the knockout rounds, Palace kick off the second leg with a 3-1 advantage over Shakhtar Donetsk and a major European final in touching distance. It’s the biggest European night in SE25 since Alfredo and co strutted their stuff there some 64 years ago. And it’s live!
