Crystal Palace reach first European final with victory over Shaktar Donetsk

Crystal Palace have made history by reaching their first-ever European final, securing a 2-1 second-leg victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday to advance 5-2 on aggregate. 

The Eagles will now face LaLiga’s Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig on May 27.

The match began with Shakhtar showing early intent, as Kaua Elias and Eguinaldo went close. Palace thought they had broken the deadlock in the 10th minute when Yeremy Pino finished smartly from Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header, but the goal was correctly disallowed for offside.

The hosts took the lead in the 25th minute through an own goal. Daniel Muñoz delivered a dangerous cross from the right, which Adam Wharton’s pressure forced Dmytro Riznyk to parry; the ball then deflected off Pedro Henrique into his own net.

Shakhtar responded brilliantly nine minutes later. Eguinaldo collected a sharp pass from Henrique, composed himself, and curled a superb strike into the top-left corner to level the score at 1-1 on the night.

Palace nearly regained the lead just before halftime when Mateta unleashed an acrobatic bicycle kick that struck the right post. 

The decisive moment came seven minutes into the second half. Tyrick Mitchell swung in a precise cross, and Ismaila Sarr steered the ball in off the woodwork, marking his continued fine form in the competition.

With the aggregate advantage restored, Palace controlled the remainder of the game comfortably, limiting Shakhtar to few clear chances. 

The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations at Selhurst Park as manager Oliver Glasner earned the chance to cap his tenure with a trophy in what will be the club’s maiden European final appearance.

This achievement marks a remarkable milestone for Crystal Palace, transforming a solid domestic season into a historic European campaign.