Crystal Palace booked their place in the Europa Conference League semi-finals with a hard-fought 3-1 aggregate victory over Fiorentina, despite a nervy second leg in Florence. Ismaïla Sarr's early header gave the visitors a vital lead, but a spirited Fiorentina fightback made for a tense evening before Palace secured a last-four showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Sarr powered home Daniel Muñoz's cross in the 17th minute to extend Palace's aggregate advantage to 4-0. However, the hosts were handed a lifeline when Jaydee Canvot was penalised for a soft foul on Rolando Mandragora, and Albert Gudmundsson calmly converted the resulting penalty. The Iceland international later forced a fine save from Dean Henderson as Fiorentina pushed for a second, but Cher Ndour's 25-yard piledriver pulled them within two goals just after the hour mark.
Palace's task was made harder by injuries to Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix before half-time. Wharton limped off with a suspected adductor problem, the same issue that sidelined him from England duty, while Lacroix collided with Muñoz and suffered a knee injury. Despite the disruptions, Oliver Glasner's side showed maturity to weather the storm, with Henderson making crucial saves to preserve the aggregate lead.
The victory continues Glasner's remarkable run at Palace, having already led them to FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs. The Austrian, who will leave the club in January, drew parallels with his Eintracht Frankfurt side that won the Europa League in 2022, revealing he granted the squad a night out in Florence to celebrate. 'Hopefully the ending of the story will be the same,' he said.
Palace's travelling support, numbering 1,400 in the away end, created a vibrant atmosphere with flares and flags organised by the Holmesdale Fanatics. Former Palace winger John Salako was also spotted enjoying the pre-match build-up in the city. The club, which finished third in the old First Division in 1991 but missed out on European qualification, will now face Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk for a place in the final.
