Zrinjski Vs Crystal Palace end 1-1 as Sarr strike cancelled out in Bosnia
In the first leg of their Conference League play-off, zrinjski vs crystal palace finished 1-1, leaving the tie evenly poised ahead of the second leg at Selhurst Park on 26 February. The draw matters now because Palace dominated possession but could not convert control into a win, and they head home needing a better result in the return match.
Zrinjski Vs Crystal Palace — key moments
Crystal Palace took the lead in the 43rd minute when Ismaila Sarr curled home after a crisp first touch from Jorgen Strand Larsen set the move up, giving Sarr his third goal in this season's competition. Palace had earlier seen a 12th-minute finish from Sarr ruled out for offside after Chris Richards came from an offside position to cross. Ten minutes into the second half, Zrinjski levelled as Karlo Abramovic drilled a shot into the far corner after a strong run from Leo Mikic, leaving Dean Henderson with no chance.
Palace pressure, line-up and missed chances
Oliver Glasner named a strong side that included Adam Wharton, Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Palace enjoyed more than 70% possession but failed to make that dominance tell on the scoreboard. Wharton came close to redemption late on when his long-range effort rattled the crossbar as Palace searched for a winner. The result continued a difficult run for the visitors: Palace have won one of their last 15 games across all competitions.
VAR check, goalkeeper escapes and what’s next
Palace survived a late penalty scare when confusion followed an aerial challenge involving Daniel Munoz; the referee checked the incident at the monitor and declined to award a spot-kick. Zrinjski should also have taken the lead at another point when Mario Cuze was one-on-one with Henderson but shot wide, a moment that kept the tie level. The zrinjski vs crystal palace fixture now moves to Selhurst Park on 26 February for the second leg (20: 00 GMT), where Palace will aim to turn possession into a knockout victory.
