Europa Conference League: Palace Reach Last 16 as De Gea Howler and Europa League Drama Mark Knockout Nights
Crystal Palace sealed progression in the europa conference league with a 2-0 win over Zrinjski at Selhurst Park that completed a 3-1 aggregate victory, while other knockout ties produced a near-miss for Fiorentina and a tense Europa League night involving Nottingham Forest and Fenerbahce. The draw for the last 16 starts at 12: 00 GMT tomorrow, setting up the next round of two-legged ties.
Crystal Palace advance at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace, competing in their first season of European football after winning the FA Cup in 2024-25, produced a dominant second-leg display to move into the last 16 of the Europa Conference League. Palace had drawn 1-1 in last week’s away leg in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, but controlled the return fixture and finished 3-1 on aggregate.
Oliver Glasner’s side opened the scoring in the 36th minute when Maxence Lacroix headed into the net from five yards after an excellent delivery from Adam Wharton from a free-kick close to the left touchline. Evann Guessand’s late, hard low strike in the second minute of stoppage time sealed the 2-0 win on the night. Guessand had an effort saved earlier and Ismaila Sarr also headed wide after missing a one-on-one chance.
The victory sets Palace up against either Mainz or Larnaca from Cyprus over two legs, with the first game at Selhurst Park on Thursday, 12 March, followed by the away match a week later. Palace’s European run is taking place against a backdrop of heavy domestic scheduling: this was the club’s 43rd match of the season, with a further 11 Premier League fixtures to play and a potential seven matches if the Conference League run continues.
Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand deliver decisive moments
Lacroix’s 36th-minute header—fed by Wharton’s set-piece delivery—provided the control Palace needed after a balanced opening spell. Guessand’s stoppage-time finish came after a period in which he had earlier been denied, and Sarr missed a notable chance that might have wrapped the tie sooner. Those fine margins left Palace to rely on clinical moments at each end of the match to reach the last 16.
Europa Conference League: De Gea howler threatens Fiorentina
David de Gea nearly cost Fiorentina after committing a howler in their Europa Conference League tie against Jagiellonia Bialystok, an error described as occurring on an "incredible night" for the fixture. The goalkeeper’s mistake almost had immediate consequences for his side’s progress in the competition.
Nottingham Forest and Fenerbahce: Europa League night of decisions
The Europa League second-leg evening produced a 1-2 scoreline between Nottingham Forest and Fenerbahce. An Akturkoglu double gave the Turkish side hope in the match before Hudson-Odoi involvement was noted as making the tie safe. The tie is also recorded with a 4-2 aggregate figure in the context, but the broader reporting contains conflicting signals about which club progressed; this is unclear in the provided context.
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira reflected on his substitutions, saying he changed half of the team to recover players for an important game in three days and accepted responsibility for the disruption. He said that conceding a goal eroded confidence, that making four substitutions at once was difficult, and that he explained the decision to players because the game had entered a dangerous phase. Pereira added that in the second half his team regained control of the game and result and that Europa League ties are not easy.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown commented that the manager acted decisively at half-time but that it was a shame to have to do so, noting that more was expected from the starters and praising Ola Aina’s performance. Former Spurs midfielder Andy Reid also offered analysis on the evening’s action.
Last-16 draw timing and Celtic exit
The draw for the last 16 is scheduled to start at 12: 00 GMT tomorrow, which will determine the next two-legged matchups across the competition. Elsewhere in the knockout phase, Celtic were eliminated despite recording a historic win in Stuttgart, a distinct development in the wider European programme.
What makes this notable is the way single-game incidents and scheduling choices are shaping progression: Palace’s set-piece and late strike carried them through, a goalkeeper error nearly undid Fiorentina, and a manager’s choice to rest players directly influenced a tense Europa League night. The timing matters because the draw at 12: 00 GMT tomorrow will quickly convert these episodic results into a concrete path forward for the remaining clubs.
