Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace ran out 3-0 winners against their Italian opponents on Thursday
Crystal Palace produced a dominant first-leg display to beat Fiorentina 3-0 at Selhurst Park and take a commanding advantage into next week’s Conference League quarter-final second leg in Florence.
Jean-Philippe Mateta broke the deadlock from the spot on 24 minutes, his first goal since New Year’s Day, before Tyrick Mitchell doubled the lead just seven minutes later.
Ismaila Sarr put the gloss on it deep into stoppage time to send Palace into the return leg with as comfortable a cushion as the competition offers.
Manager Oliver Glasner was effusive about what he had seen, particularly in the opening period and the final stretch of the game.
“More importantly for me was the performance, in the first half and then let’s say the last 20 minutes,” Glasner told TNT Sports.
“Brilliant, fantastic performance, great pressure, playing well and always attacking the box, the balls in behind. We knew that they are very compact but we were going in behind and creating so many chances which was great to see.”
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Glasner Frustrated Despite the Result
The result was not the only thing occupying Glasner’s thoughts. A spell in the second half when Palace lost control of the game clearly irritated him, and he held nothing back on the touchline or in his post-match assessment.
“We lost the ball too easily and quickly, the game was too wild – it was up and down. When you are 2-0 up you should get more control,” he said.
“We had four or five easy ball losses and that gave the momentum to Fiorentina. I was pleased to see we didn’t get frustrated against a very good team from Italy, kept our heads up and knew we could get the momentum again. In the end we were really close to scoring the fourth goal and it was a great performance.”
Richards Eyes the Final
Defender Chris Richards spoke with quiet confidence in front of the cameras, reflecting the mood in a Palace dressing room that knows it has one foot in the last four.
“Whenever you keep a clean sheet, it helps everyone,” Richards said. “The guys up top always help out the team and to get three goals is great. We could have scored more.
“There were a lot of tired legs out there and it worked out towards the end. It’s fun in the dressing room right now. It was good for everyone to be back with each other after the international break. It is light but we know that we have a big game on Sunday against Newcastle and obviously next Thursday.”
The American defender did not shy away from what the ambition inside the squad looks like either.
“Of course we want to get to the final but we understand that there is another leg to play and we have to get the job done,” he said.
The second leg takes place in Florence next Thursday. Palace travel there three goals to the good and will fancy their chances of making it to the final four.
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