Christantus Uche Sparks Dominant Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Despite entering their first-ever European adventure, Oliver Glasner's side are adapting very quickly. Missing star players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a comfortable result that all but secures them a place in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
Another victory in their next fixture against Finland's KuPS should be sufficient to seal straight entry to the knockout stages, especially after a prior setback against Strasbourg.
Squad Members Seize the Opportunity
This match offered a platform for several Palace's fringe talent to shine. Christantus Uche, making only his second start since joining on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a well-taken finish. Forward Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, scoring for the second game in succession.
The Shelbourne side that had finished their league season proved no match even for a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were further weakened by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee injuries.
Dominance Asserted from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A flowing passing sequence in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a straightforward tap-in.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close soon after, driving a powerful shot over the bar. Nketiah then appealed for a penalty after racing into the box, but the referee waved away the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal striker did not have wait long to find his goal, tapping home from a yard out after Uche's shot had struck the post.
Shelbourne were hanging on desperately. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to escape a booking for two robust tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The contest was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some weak challenges before coolly dispatching a shot past keeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
Following the break, coach Oliver Glasner seized the opportunity to rest key players like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse came close to scoring with his first touch, only to see his effort blocked.
Esse was incredibly unlucky later on, seeing one shot crash off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche also blazed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still scope for development in his game.
A solitary worry for Palace was a late knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This paved the way for 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to earn his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise positive evening for the traveling side.
