Crystal Palace And AEK Larnaca Draw 0-0 As Glasner Pursues First-Leg Advantage

Add as a preferred source on Google

Crystal Palace dominated long spells against AEK Larnaca but were held to a 0-0 draw in their Conference League last-16 first leg. Oliver Glasner’s team controlled territory and tempo at Selhurst Park, yet Zlatan Alomerovic resisted everything. The tie will now be settled at AEK Arena next Thursday.

Key numbers underline Palace’s control. Glasner’s side generated 1.72 expected goals from 13 attempts, while Larnaca produced 0.23 xG from just two shots, both off target. Palace also enjoyed 71% possession and launched far more attacks in advanced areas, but the pressure did not bring a breakthrough.

Palace’s attacking volume was clear across several measures, highlighting the one-sided nature of the contest. They created three 'big' chances, recorded 76 entries into the final third compared with Larnaca’s 41, and delivered 28 crosses to the visitors’ five. Even so, Alomerovic remained unbeaten in the Larnaca goal.

Clear openings still arrived for Palace across both halves. Early on, Evann Guessand forced a save from Alomerovic, and Adam Wharton dragged the loose ball wide. The best chance came on 42 minutes when a deflected effort reached Tyrick Mitchell in the six-yard box, but the left-back’s first-time strike was smothered.

After the interval, Palace continued to push. Brennan Johnson fired over and wide shortly after the hour, while Chris Richards met a corner but could only loop a header onto the roof of the net. Jean-Philippe Mateta appeared from the bench for a first outing since late January yet did not manage an attempt.

Larnaca’s display fitted a season-long pattern in the Conference League. The Cypriot side have now recorded six clean sheets from seven matches, the best defensive record in the competition. Their disciplined structure limited clear shots inside the box and allowed Alomerovic to deal with efforts that did arrive.

Both teams now move to Cyprus with everything level and no away-goal rule influencing approach. Palace will travel knowing the performance level was strong but finishing must improve. Larnaca, meanwhile, carry confidence from their defensive record as they look to protect home ground at AEK Arena.