Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski — How a Chaotic Palace Season Leaves Fans, Players and the Manager on Edge
The victory captured under that headline matters first and foremost to supporters and the dressing room: Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski ended with a 2-0 home win that sealed a 3-1 aggregate and a place in the Conference League last 16, but the match arrives amid a season of departures, managerial friction and mixed emotions. The crowd and the squad are the immediate stakeholders; the draw for the next round is scheduled for Friday at 13: 00 GMT, which will settle Palace's European path for the rest of the campaign.
Who feels the immediate impact: fans and the squad
What’s easy to miss is how personal this run has become for supporters and players. Palace supporters have been on an emotional rollercoaster: the club won its first major trophy by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup in May, then added the Community Shield with a penalty shootout win over Liverpool three months later. Amid that success, key personnel moved or nearly moved — winger Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal, captain Marc Guehi was linked with Liverpool before moving to Manchester City five months later, and top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta almost joined AC Milan but a medical collapsed the move. Those exits and near-exits have left fans and the squad recalibrating expectations while still chasing European progress.
Crystal Palace Vs Zrinjski: the result and how the tie unfolded
At Selhurst Park, Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand scored to secure a 2-0 win that completed a 3-1 aggregate triumph and sent Palace into the last 16. The tie had been unsettled after an away leg in Bosnia and Herzegovina finished 1-1; Palace escaped that trip and the tie might have swung the other way if Zrinjski had equalised just before Guessand’s late intervention. This progression keeps Palace in the Conference League at a point when the club was demoted to that competition from the Europa League after last season’s FA Cup success. Palace’s European campaign will continue against either the Cypriot side Larnaca — whom they lost to in the group stage — or Mainz from Germany, with the draw set for Friday at 13: 00 GMT.
Managerial turbulence: Glasner’s remarks and his standing inside the club
Managerial turmoil has been a running theme. In January the manager announced his intention to leave at the end of the season and accused the board of abandoning the squad; that sequence suggested his tenure was over, yet he remained in post. He has admitted some of his interviews were unhelpful and has repeatedly said he speaks openly about what he feels. He has also said he has been given assurance over his position and pointed to the players’ performances and togetherness as evidence that his job is safe. Club figures around him — including the sporting director and the chairman — have been described as aligned with the group, and the manager has framed the current campaign as one of the club’s best stretches alongside the prior season.
League picture and what progression means for Palace
On the domestic front Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, positioned 10 points clear of the relegation zone and three points shy of eighth place — a position that could be sufficient for a European return next season. The team’s standing in both the league and the Conference League has been used internally to argue that the season can still be salvaged and turned into a success despite the off-field noise.
Supporter reaction and matchday atmosphere
Supporter unrest has been visible and vocal. Fans displayed a banner before a 1-0 win over Wolves declaring the manager finished, and a supporters’ group sought a temporary change to pre-match procedures by requesting music be turned off so they could back the team during warm-up; the club rejected that request on the grounds that UEFA regulations would not permit it. A sizeable contingent of travelling supporters who arrived two hours before kick-off helped to generate a decent atmosphere, even though many home sections still showed a large number of empty seats. During the first half a message was shown by the Holmesdale Fanatics criticizing ticket prices and linking them to the empty seats.
Wider European results mentioned alongside Palace’s progress
- Celta Vigo beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate, with Williot Swedberg scoring the only goal in the tie; Celta will face either Aston Villa or Lyon.
- Lille overturned a first-leg loss to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade, with goals from Olivier Giroud and Nathan Ngoy.
- Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros recovered from a deficit to win 2-0 and eliminate Ludogorets Razgrad.
- Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen scored to put a Hungarian side through to face Porto or Braga, and Stuttgart will face one of those despite a 1-0 home loss to Celtic.
- Luke McCowan scored after 28 seconds — the Europa League’s fastest in 10 years — though his side lost on aggregate.
- Panathinaikos advanced after beating Viktoria Plzen 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 second-leg draw; that tie featured a red card with Panathinaikos playing extra time with 10 men, and a decisive spot-kick by Milos Pantovic was noted in the shootout sequence leading to potential matchups with Midtjylland or Real Betis.
- Nottingham Forest’s aggregate victory over Fenerbahce positions them as potential opponents for Midtjylland or Betis.
- Bologna beat Brann 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate to reach the last 16.
Here’s the part that matters: Palace’s European route and domestic position together shape the immediate horizon for the club’s leadership decisions and supporter sentiment. If results keep arriving, the noise may quiet; if they do not, tensions already visible at Selhurst Park will likely deepen.
It’s easy to overlook, but the sequence of trophies, near-moves and public criticism has concentrated pressure on a small group of people inside the club more than on the season’s results so far.
