Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski: Chaos, Corrections and Who Feels the Pressure as Palace Chase European Glory

Who feels the impact first are the players on the pitch and the travelling supporters in the stands: Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski matters because the 2-0 win at Selhurst Park both rescued a fraught European tie and extended a season of internal turmoil into knock-out football. The result puts Palace into the Conference League last 16 and hands a narrow window for healing — and more scrutiny — ahead of the draw on Friday at 13: 00 GMT.

Impact on squad cohesion, fan trust and a manager under the microscope

Here’s the part that matters: the victory changed the immediate mood but did not erase months of turnover and friction. Players still have to perform while supporters and the manager remain at odds. Captain Dean Henderson even joked, "I don't know what all the fuss was about, " soon after the 2-0 victory over Bosnian side Zrinjski that sealed a 3-1 aggregate win, but the comment sat alongside a season that has seen major departures and public rows.

Match details embedded in a larger arc

Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand scored the goals that secured a 2-0 result at Selhurst Park, completing a 3-1 aggregate tie. Palace had escaped last week’s trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 1-1 draw; that first-leg scoreline left the tie precarious and could have swung the other way if Zrinjski had equalised just before Guessand settled the tie late on. A live match blog for the fixture was unavailable and displayed the message: "Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. "

Managerial friction, assurances and public fallout

Oliver Glasner’s tenure has been turbulent: he announced in January he was leaving at the end of the season, then told the club’s board they had "abandoned" the squad. That appeared to signal the end of his time, yet he remains in charge and has said he has "100%" assurance of his job from the board while acknowledging some interviews may not have been helpful. Fans have been outspoken — supporters held up a banner before a 1-0 win over Wolves calling him "finished" — and a supporters’ group asked for music to be turned off at a match so they could lead a pre-match warm-up, a request the club rejected on the grounds that UEFA regulations would not allow it.

Domestic highs, big departures and the roster rollercoaster

It has been a wild 12 months: Palace won their first major trophy in May by beating Manchester City to lift the FA Cup, then added the Community Shield in a penalty shootout win over Liverpool three months later. Yet the squad has fractured — winger 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. All of this feeds into why on-field results and dressing-room togetherness now carry outsized weight.

European picture, atmosphere and what comes next

Palace were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after winning the FA Cup last season, and this is the club's first extended European campaign. Their run continues: Palace will discover their Conference League last-16 opponents in the draw on Friday at 13: 00 GMT and will face either the Cypriot side Larnaca — who Palace lost to during the group stages — or Mainz from Germany in the last 16.

Match-day atmosphere felt mixed: a large group of travelling supporters who took up position two hours before kick-off helped generate a decent atmosphere despite a notable number of empty home seats. A message displayed by the Holmesdale Fanatics read: "40 quid? Palace fans fleeced = empty seats. "

• 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 overturned a first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade with goals from Olivier Giroud and Nathan Ngoy and are potential opposition for Villa or Lyon in Friday's draw.
• Ferencvaros overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and knock out Ludogorets Razgrad.
• Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen scored to put a Hungarian side into the next round, where they will face Porto or Braga; one of those will meet Stuttgart despite Stuttgart losing 1-0 at home to Celtic.
• Luke McCowan's 28-second goal was the Europa League's fastest in 10 years, though the hosts prevailed 4-2 on aggregate.
• Panathinaikos, down 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.
• In a shootout, Milos Pantovic scored the decisive spot-kick as Plzen advanced with Midtjylland or Real Betis awaiting in the last 16; Nottingham Forest, having beaten 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; the opponent for that tie is unclear in the provided context.

What’s easy to miss is that results are only one measure of progress; the club’s public rifts and turnover are the other, and both will shape whether this season becomes remembered for silverware or for internal collapse.

• Palace are 13th in the Premier League, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and three points away from eighth — a gap that could still affect European qualification next season.
• The first-leg 1-1 away draw left the tie vulnerable; the 2-0 home win closed it but not the underlying questions around management and support.

Key takeaways:

• Selhurst win sent Palace through (2-0 on the night, 3-1 on aggregate) but did not erase recent turmoil.
• Glasner remains in charge and says he has full backing while admitting some comments stirred the media.
• Significant player departures and a failed transfer medical for a top scorer have reshaped the squad.
• European progress continues — opponent to be revealed Friday at 13: 00 GMT — and could define the season's legacy.

The real question now is whether on-field togetherness can outlast off-field noise. If the players keep delivering results, it will blunt calls for change; if not, those public fractures will only deepen.