FootyChatter.com

Crystal Palace had never played in major European competition before this season At a glance Maxence Lacroix opens scoring for Palace with header in 36th minute Evann Guessand seals win in second-half stoppage time Palace win 3-1 on aggregate after last week's 1-1 draw in Bosnia-Herzegovina Eagles next face Germany's Mainz or Larnaca from Cyprus over two legs PLAYER RATER Crystal Palace proved too strong for Bosnian side Zrinjski to move into the last 16 of the Conference League. The Eagles, competing in their first season of European football after winning the FA Cup in 2024-25, had drawn 1-1 in last week's away leg in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. But Oliver Glasner's side never looked in danger of conceding a goal and produced a dominant performance in the second leg at Selhurst Park to continue their European adventure. Their opener came in the 36th minute when Maxence Lacroix headed into the net from five yards out following an excellent delivery from Adam Wharton with a free-kick close to the left touchline. Evann Guessand had an effort saved and Ismaila Sarr headed wide and missed a one-on-chance, before Guessand scored with a hard, low strike in the second minute of stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory. Palace will now play either German side Mainz or Larnaca from Cyprus in the two-legged tie, with the first game at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 12 March, followed by the away match a week later. 'Don't know what the fuss was about' - chaotic Palace season could end in glory What did you make of Palace's performance? For Palace, this win continues a rollercoaster 12 months. After beating Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup in May - the first major trophy in the club's history - they followed that with more silverware by edging past Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties to clinch the Community Shield. But, off the pitch, the club were unsuccessful in their legal attempt to stay in the Europa League, as they were then demoted to the third-tier Conference League after being in breach of multi-club ownership rules. Eberechi Eze, who scored the winner in the cup final, joined Arsenal and captain Marc Guehi almost moved to Liverpool, only for the deal to fall apart as the Eagles could not sort out a replacement. But Palace's small squad has struggled with the extra amount of games, this one being their 43rd of the season, with a further 11 to come in the Premier League and a potential seven in the Conference League. From December, they went on a 12-match run without a win and in January Glasner said he was leaving at the end of the season, with the news coming at the same time as Guehi's move to Manchester City going through. Glasner, the most successful manager in the club's history, then said he felt his squad were "being abandoned completely" by the Palace hierarchy, with many expecting those comments to lead to an immediate departure. On top of that, top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta would have left for AC Milan in January if he had not failed a medical because of a knee injury. Yet, despite all the on and off-field chaos, Palace, 13th in the Premier League but 10 points above the relegation zone, could still make more club history by winning their first European trophy. They remain favourites to win the Conference League, despite only coming 10th in the league phase. The only surprise against Zrinjski, a strong and well-organised but limited side, was that Palace's winning margin was not bigger. Guessand, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Daichi Kamada all had goalbound efforts deflected wide before Wharton provided the quality with a wonderful assist for Lacroix's first-half goal. Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson did not have a shot on target to deal with from the visitors, although Zrinjski's only real chance came in the 91st minute with Tomi Juric heading wastefully wide, before Guessand scored to seal their place in the next round. Their potential last-16 opponents will not cause any fear for Palace as Mainz are 13th in the German Bundesliga, while Larnaca only scored seven goals in six matches in the league phase, although they did beat the Eagles 1-0 in October. But for now, Glasner stays in his role and the Eagles continue their pursuit of a trophy for the ultimate end to a campaign full of highs and lows. Crystal Palace have back-to-back Premier League away games, against Manchester United on Sunday, 1 March (14: 00 GMT) and Tottenham on Thursday, 5 March (20: 00) before they are back in European action. However, they will not know whether their opponents are Mainz or Larnaca until the last-16 draw takes place at Uefa's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday (13: 00). After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Manager: Oliver Glasner Formation: 3 - 4 - 3 Manager: Igor Stimac Formation: 5 - 4 - 1 Manager: Oliver Glasner Formation: 3 - 4 - 3 Manager: Igor Stimac Formation: 5 - 4 - 1 UEFA Conference League All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Crystal Palace 2, Zrinjski Mostar 0. Second Half ends, Crystal Palace 2, Zrinjski Mostar 0. Goal! Crystal Palace 2, Zrinjski Mostar 0. Evann Guessand (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Brennan Johnson. Attempt missed. Tomi Juric (Zrinjski Mostar) header from very close range misses to the left. Assisted by Matej Sakota with a cross following a corner. Corner, Zrinjski Mostar. Conceded by Daniel Muñoz. Fourth official has announced 4 minutes of added time. Foul by Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace). Igor Savic (Zrinjski Mostar) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace). Will Hughes (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kerim Memija (Zrinjski Mostar). Corner, Zrinjski Mostar. Conceded by Jaydee Canvot. Substitution, Zrinjski Mostar. Marijan Cavar replaces Antonio Ivancic. Substitution, Zrinjski Mostar. Kerim Memija replaces Neven Djurasek. Substitution, Zrinjski Mostar. Dan Lagumdzija replaces Karlo Abramovic. Foul by Will Hughes (Crystal Palace). Antonio Ivancic (Zrinjski Mostar) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt saved. Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal by Goran Karacic (Zrinjski Mostar). Assisted by Chris Richards with a through ball. Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the left wing. Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.