JuicyTalk
Crystal Palace made history at Selhurst Park, beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate to book their place in a first-ever European final.
Oliver Glasner’s side will now face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig in the UEFA Conference League final.
The atmosphere in South London set the tone, and Palace thought they had an early breakthrough after 10 minutes when Yeremy Pino raced onto a flick-on from Jean-Philippe Mateta and finished neatly past the goalkeeper. However, VAR ruled the Spaniard marginally offside.
Palace eventually found their opener in the 25th minute. Adam Wharton drove a powerful strike at goal, forcing a parry from goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.
Daniel Munoz reacted quickest at the byline and fired the ball back across goal, where a deflection off Pedro Henrique sent it into the net for an own goal and a 4-1 aggregate lead.
To their credit, Shakhtar responded. In the 34th minute, Eguinaldo produced a brilliant equaliser, receiving the ball inside the box before spinning and curling a superb finish into the top-left corner beyond Dean Henderson.
Despite heavy possession from the Ukrainian side, Palace remained dangerous. Just after half-time, the hosts restored their lead when Tyrick Mitchell burst down the left and delivered a low cross for Ismaila Sarr, who guided a finish in off the right post.
The result means England will have representation in every European final this season, with Arsenal in the Champions League final and Aston Villa in the Europa League. Meanwhile, Palace now stand one game away from the first major European trophy in the club’s history.
