Crystal Palace’s first appearance in the Europa League provided an early indication that they may be capable of competing at the higher level, as they secured a convincing victory over Lech Poznan. After recent success in the FA Cup and Conference League, the step up in quality had been a significant test for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Palace took full advantage of a major mistake from Terry Yegbe to open the scoring. The Lech defender’s poor throw allowed Pino to collect possession, advance into the penalty area and finish. Yegbe then came close to adding to Palace’s advantage himself when an attempted clearance from distance flew towards his own goal, although an offside decision ruled out the incident.
Lech’s supporters continued to back their team throughout the second half, but Palace remained in control and eventually added a fourth goal late on. The result offers a valuable lift after a difficult beginning to the Premier League campaign, in which Palace have lost three of their first four matches.
The evening also marked Ismaila Sarr’s first appearance of the season. His proposed move to Liverpool collapsed late in the transfer window, and his introduction was met with a broadly positive response from the Palace crowd, although some boos could also be heard among the applause.
With a strong opening result in Europe, Palace can look towards the rest of the league phase with increased confidence and genuine belief that reaching the knockout stage is possible.
