Crystal Palace Clinches Conference League Final With 2-1 Victory Over Shakhtar Donetsk

Crystal Palace reached the Conference League final after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the second leg, claiming a 5-2 aggregate victory. Ismaila Sarr struck the decisive goal, sending Crystal Palace to Leipzig for the 27 May showdown with Rayo Vallecano. The match will be Crystal Palace’s first-ever European final and a possible farewell trophy for Oliver Glasner.

The second leg at Selhurst Park featured dramatic swings, yet Crystal Palace stayed in control overall. Pedro Henrique’s own-goal gave the hosts an early advantage before Eguinaldo levelled for Shakhtar. Sarr then restored the lead shortly after half-time, and Crystal Palace protected that cushion with calm game management across a tight, low-chance second period.

Shakhtar began with high pressure and sharp attacking play, as Kaua Elias and Eguinaldo both threatened early. Crystal Palace thought the breakthrough arrived on ten minutes when Yeremy Pino finished after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header, but an offside decision cut celebrations short. Daniel Munoz later whipped in a right-sided cross, which Pedro Henrique diverted into his own net after Dmytro Riznyk had denied Adam Wharton.

The Ukrainian side responded with style in the 34th minute, when Eguinaldo collected Henrique’s precise pass and guided a superb shot into the top-left corner. Mateta almost answered instantly, hitting the right post with an acrobatic bicycle kick before the interval. Seven minutes after the restart, Sarr met Tyrick Mitchell’s cross and sent the ball in via the woodwork, after which Crystal Palace calmly saw out the tie.

Crystal Palace’s run to the showpiece has featured consistent influence from Sarr in the final third. Sarr has scored in each of the last five Conference League games, registering six goals during that span. Only Cedric Bakambu has produced a longer scoring streak in the competition’s knockout rounds, with six consecutive matches between 2024 and 2025.

The Eagles have also built a strong home platform in Europe, remaining unbeaten in six straight Conference League fixtures at Selhurst Park, with four wins and two draws. Shakhtar still created serious problems and often looked dangerous in transition, suggesting the second leg might become tense despite Crystal Palace’s aggregate cushion.

Shakhtar finished the game with 17 attempts, compared with Crystal Palace’s 11 efforts, reflecting their attacking intent. That volume produced an expected goals figure of 1.04 for Shakhtar. Crystal Palace generated fewer shots yet crafted better-quality openings overall, giving the Premier League side an expected goals value of 1.37, underlining their sharper work in key attacking areas.

The victory secured a historic milestone for Crystal Palace and sets up a meeting with LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano on 27 May in Leipzig. Supporters greeted the final whistle with huge celebrations as Glasner gained the chance to close the Selhurst Park chapter with silverware, after guiding Crystal Palace to a first European final.