Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski: Palace reach Conference League last 16 after 2-0 win (3-1 agg)

The second-leg tie crystal palace vs zrinjski ended in a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace advanced 3-1 on aggregate to reach the last 16 of the Conference League. Maxence Lacroix opened the scoring and Evann Guessand sealed the win late, extending Palace's debut European campaign.

Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski — match details and key moments

Maxence Lacroix opened the scoring for Palace with a header in the 36th minute, heading in from five yards after an excellent delivery from Adam Wharton from a free-kick close to the left touchline. Ismaila Sarr headed wide after missing a one-on-one chance and Evann Guessand had an effort saved earlier, before Guessand scored with a hard, low strike in the second minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Palace had drawn 1-1 in last week's away leg in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving the tie level on aggregate until the Selhurst Park success. The win moved Oliver Glasner's side into the last 16 of the Conference League.

European debut and tournament context

Crystal Palace are competing in their first season of European football after winning the FA Cup in 2024-25; the club had never played in major European competition before this season. The FA Cup triumph last season was followed by a Community Shield victory that was decided on penalties against the Premier League champions.

Despite on-field silverware, Palace had been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after being found in breach of multi-club ownership rules and were unsuccessful in their legal attempt to remain in the Europa League. That demotion left Palace to continue this season in the third-tier Conference League.

What comes next: opponents and schedule

Palace will now face either German side Mainz or Larnaca from Cyprus in a two-legged last-16 tie. The first game is scheduled at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 12 March, with the away match to follow a week later.

Squad strain, season arc and personnel movement

The win continues a turbulent 12 months for Palace. After the FA Cup success and the Community Shield, the club endured off-field challenges and significant squad change. Eberechi Eze, who scored the FA Cup winner, joined Arsenal. Captain Marc Guehi nearly moved to Liverpool in an earlier window but that deal fell apart when the club could not arrange a replacement; later coverage states Guehi's move to Manchester City went through, with that development coinciding with manager Oliver Glasner's announcement in January that he would leave at the end of the season.

Palace's relatively small squad has struggled under the increased fixture load: the Selhurst Park match was their 43rd of the season, with a further 11 Premier League fixtures to come and a potential seven more matches in the Conference League. From December, the team experienced a 12-match run without a win, a difficult stretch that contextualised the importance of the Selhurst Park victory.

Manager reaction, fan tensions and match atmosphere

Manager Oliver Glasner admitted he had sparked a media storm earlier in the tie. After leaving the pitch following the first leg, supporters had called for the manager to be sacked on the morning of that match; the Selhurst Park performances by Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand helped create a more harmonious evening for Glasner and the squad.

The club rejected a request from the supporters' group responsible for a banner directed against the manager and the board at a recent match against Wolves to turn off the music so fans could "back the team during the pre-match warm-up" on the grounds that UEFA regulations would not allow it. A large group of travelling supporters who took up position two hours before kick-off helped create a decent atmosphere despite a large number of empty seats in the home sections. The Holmesdale Fanatics displayed a message during the first half that read: "40 quid? Palace fans fleeced = empty seats. "

Other European ties and outcomes mentioned

• Williot Swedberg scored the only goal as Celta Vigo beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate to set up a last-16 tie against either Aston Villa or Lyon.
• Lille regained momentum by winning 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade with goals from Olivier Giroud and, in extra time, Nathan Ngoy; they will provide other potential opposition for Villa or Lyon in Friday's draw.
• Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and eliminate Ludogorets Razgrad.
• First-half goals from Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen put a Hungarian side into the next round; that side will face Porto or Braga, one of which Stuttgart will also face despite losing 1-0 at home to Celtic.
• Luke McCowan's goal after 28 seconds was the Europa League's fastest in 10 years, though the hosts prevailed 4-2 on aggregate overall.
• Panathinaikos, reduced to 10 men for the second half of extra time after Javi Hernández was sent off, beat Viktoria Plzen 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the second leg made it 3-3 on aggregate.
• Andreas Tetteh put the visitors ahead early in that tie but Karel Spacil equalised for Plzen; in the shootout Milos Pantovic scored the decisive spot-kick. Midtjylland or Real Betis await in the last 16, with Nottingham Forest, who beat Fenerbahce on aggregate, also listed as potential opponents for Midtjylland or Betis.
• Bologna beat 10-man Brann 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate to set up a last-16 tie; the full opponent detail is unclear in the provided context.

Note: a separate live commentary blog for the match was unavailable at the time of coverage, with the message that the blog was currently unavailable.