Uche Sparks Comfortable Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though embarking on their first-ever European campaign, Crystal Palace are learning at a rapid pace. Missing key players like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a comfortable win that virtually secures them a place in the Conference League playoffs.
A further three points in their next fixture against Finland's KuPS ought to be enough to seal direct entry to the last 16, especially after a prior setback against Strasbourg.
Squad Members Grasp the Moment
This match provided a chance for several Palace's fringe players to impress. Christantus Uche, making only his second start after joining on loan from Getafe, notched the scoring with a clinical finish. Forward Eddie Nketiah contributed a another, finding the net for the second consecutive match.
The Shelbourne team that had concluded their league season proved outmatched even for a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The Londoners were further depleted by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with leg injuries.
Control Asserted from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A slick move in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, let Nketiah to lay on Uche for a simple tap-in.
Midfielder Adam Wharton came close soon after, fizzing a powerful shot over the bar. Nketiah subsequently claimed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the referee waved away the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal man didn't need to wait long to find his goal, tapping home from a yard out after Uche's effort had struck the post.
The home side were clinging on for dear life. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to avoid a booking for a couple of agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the woodwork with a header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The match was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past some comically weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past keeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest key players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring with his first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one attempt strike off each posts before being gathered on the line. Uche then blazed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still scope for development in his game.
A solitary concern for Palace was a late injury to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to make his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise perfect evening for the visiting side.