Crystal Palace made a powerful entrance into their debut Europa League campaign, defeating Lech Poznan 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Yeremy Pino, Chris Richards and Jorgen Strand Larsen put the hosts firmly in control before Eddie Nketiah added a late fourth.
The result offered an immediate response to Palace’s disappointing Premier League form, coming after Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Ipswich. Manager Pierre Sage kept the same starting XI and was rewarded as Palace effectively settled the contest before half-time.
Pino opened the scoring in the 10th minute after Terry Yegbe’s misplaced throw-in handed him possession. The Spanish forward moved through the exposed Lech defence before finding the finish. Richards then doubled the advantage by heading Adam Wharton’s corner past goalkeeper Mateusz Lis at the back post.
Palace were awarded a penalty when Pino was brought down by Radoslaw Murawski, and Strand Larsen converted in the 35th minute. Lech threatened at times, with Mikael Ishak missing two opportunities, while Yegbe also struck the side-netting. An apparent own goal by Yegbe was ruled out because Strand Larsen had been offside.
Lech’s task became even more difficult when Murawski was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Jaydee Canvot. Nketiah completed the scoring soon afterwards, sealing a comprehensive victory for Palace on a significant night in the club’s European history.
Palace reached the Europa League after winning the Conference League, having previously been moved into that competition by UEFA following a breach of multi-club ownership rules. Their opening performance against the Polish champions provided an emphatic start to their return to Europe’s second-tier competition.
