Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski: chaotic Palace season could end in glory
Crystal Palace secured a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory, a result that punctuates the tale of crystal palace vs zrinjski and sends the club into the Conference League last 16. The draw for the last 16 takes place on Friday at 13: 00 GMT.
Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski reaction
Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand scored as Palace beat Bosnian side Zrinjski 2-0 at Selhurst Park to complete a 3-1 aggregate progression. Dean Henderson joked shortly after the match: "I don't know what all the fuss was about. " The second leg followed a first-leg 1-1 draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a result Palace were fortunate to escape from; had Zrinjski equalised late in that game the tie might have been very different before Guessand settled it late in the second leg.
Selhurst Park win and goals
Lacroix and Guessand were the scorers on the night that sealed Palace's place in the last 16. The club had earlier been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after winning the FA Cup last season, and this 3-1 aggregate success keeps their first European campaign alive. The draw will pit Palace against either the Cypriot side Larnaca — who Palace lost to during the group stages — or Mainz from Germany.
Glasner and dressing-room response
Oliver Glasner, who announced in January he was leaving at the end of the season and told the club's board they had "abandoned" the squad, has remained in post. Asked if he had assurance of his job from his bosses, Glasner said "100%", adding: "There's so much noise, sometimes you really don't understand it. Maybe I gave some interviews that were not helpful and I have to admit that, but I'm always telling what I'm feeling, it's how I am. " He also said: "We're in a very good position in the league and the Conference League and it is up to us to make a really great season of it. "
Glasner accepted his earlier comments sparked a media storm, saying: "There is so much noise, so sometimes we really don't understand it, but maybe I gave some interviews that were not really helpful, I have to admit. " He added: "I just had to express it otherwise I would have exploded. I can't do it differently. If I feel something, I have to say it. Then I have to face the shitstorm. Everyone hopefully knows everything I say and do is for the best of Crystal Palace. " He also stressed: "If the players believe in me and the staff, that's the most important thing, otherwise, you can pack your suitcase and go home because the players have to perform on the pitch. "
Fans, banners and atmosphere
The campaign has been turbulent off the pitch. Fans held up a banner on Sunday before the 1-0 win over Wolves saying Glasner was "finished". A supporters' group responsible for that banner asked for the match-day music to be turned off so they could "back the team during the pre-match warm-up", but the club rejected the request on the grounds that Uefa's regulations would not allow it. A large group of travelling supporters took up position two hours before kick-off and helped create a decent atmosphere despite many empty seats in the home sections. During the first half the Holmesdale Fanatics displayed the message: "40 quid? Palace fans fleeced = empty seats. "
A turbulent 12 months
It has been a wild 12 months for the Eagles. In May they won their first major trophy, beating Manchester City to lift the FA Cup, and added another trophy three months later with a penalty shootout win over Liverpool to clinch the Community Shield. Key players have moved on: Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal, skipper Marc Guehi nearly joined Liverpool before moving to Manchester City five months later, and top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta was on the verge of signing for AC Milan only to fail a medical. Glasner said: "We have a great togetherness in the group - players, staff, really positive. The same with the sporting director and the chairman. They are sometimes wondering, 'Hey, this is the second-best Premier League season ever'. The best was last year. So maybe the best two years in Crystal Palace's history, playing European football for the first time. "
European context and other results
Elsewhere in Europe, 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 bounced back to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade with goals from Olivier Giroud and, in extra time, Nathan Ngoy, and will be another potential opponent 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 knock out Ludogorets Razgrad. First-half goals from Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen put that Hungarian side into the next round, where they 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 but the hosts still prevailed 4-2 on aggregate. Panathinaikos, who played the second half of extra time with 10 men 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 but Karel Spacil equalised for Plzen and in the shootout Milos Pantovic scored the decisive spot-kick, with Midtjylland or Real Betis awaiting in the last 16. Nottingham Forest, who beat Fenerbahce on aggregate, are also 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.
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Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and only three points away from eighth, a position that could be high enough to secure a European return next season.
Closing out the evening at Selhurst Park, the 2-0 victory over Zrinjski Mostar and progression to the Conference League last 16 offered a clear boost to a club whose season has been defined by upheaval and unexpected highs; the draw at 13: 00 GMT on Friday will determine the next opponent.
