Crystal Palace reached the UEFA Conference League final after a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park on Thursday, completing a 5-2 aggregate win and earning the Premier League side a place in the decider in their first season in Europe.
Palace, who started the season by winning the Community Shield, will end their campaign with a final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27 in Leipzig after the Spanish side defeated Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate.
The hosts, buoyed by a 3-1 win in last week’s away match in Poland, had the ball in the net in the tenth minute but Yeremy Pino’s goal was disallowed for offside.
Palace took the lead in the 25th minute when Adam Wharton’s shot was parried by Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk and Daniel Munoz’s successor deflected the rebound off defender Pedro Henrique.
Shakhtar kept themselves level nine minutes later with an equalizer through Eguinaldo, who collected a pass just inside the area and took a touch under control before coolly steering the ball into the top corner.
Ismaila Sarr scored his ninth of the league to become the Conference League’s top scorer this season, putting Palace back in front seven minutes after half-time and restoring their three-goal lead overall.
Oliver Glasner’s side were happy to sit back and absorb the pressure from Shakhtar to watch the match in comfort, and the Palace fans were celebrating long before the final whistle and can now dream of adding to their silverware even further in what will be the manager’s last match.
Palace had originally qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup last season, the club’s first major trophy, but were dropped from the Conference League in a multi-club ownership case involving French side Olympique Lyonnais.
Published on May 8, 2026
