Crystal Palace Held to Disappointing Draw in Bosnia
Crystal Palace captain Dean Henderson admitted there were "no excuses" after his side were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Bosnian Premier League outfit Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of their Europa Conference League knockout phase play-off on Thursday night.
Palace Let Lead Slip in Bosnia
The Premier League side had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time through Ismaila Sarr, but surrendered their advantage in the 55th minute when Karlo Abramovic capitalised on a Palace mistake to level the scores. The disappointing result increases pressure on manager Oliver Glasner, whose team face Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday before hosting the crucial second leg at Selhurst Park next Thursday.
"It's always difficult coming to places like this," Henderson told TNT Sports after the match. "Sometimes you get a bit agitated, you want to go and get the next goal, and obviously with the pitch today, no excuses but playing balls into the pockets when it's bobbling, then they can break us, obviously."
Henderson Calls for Learning and Improvement
The Palace goalkeeper emphasized the need for his team to learn from their mistakes ahead of the return fixture. "That was difficult tonight but we've got to learn from it, we've got to move on. It will be a different game next week, and we've just got to make sure we're prepared for that," he added.
Reflecting on the challenge ahead, Henderson warned against complacency: "It's not going to be easy. We can't just turn up and expect to win three, four-nil, simple as that. We've got to learn from it."
Glasner's Struggles Continue
The draw represents another setback for Glasner, who had seen his team snap a 12-game winless streak across all competitions with an away victory against Brighton, only to suffer an agonising 3-2 home defeat to Burnley after surrendering a two-goal lead. Despite being considered one of the favourites on paper to win the Conference League, Palace's recent form has been inconsistent at best.
Glasner, who announced in January that he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, identified familiar defensive issues plaguing his team. "It was the same against Burnley. We were controlling the game, having the lead, and then we just made two easy mistakes," the Austrian manager told TNT Sports.
"And then, even when you see the opportunities, we have always an overload, and we can't defend the one we want. It's what I said before the game, we have to get our defence sorted," Glasner added, highlighting ongoing defensive frailties.
Leadership Void and Injury Concerns
Following the Burnley defeat, Glasner had called on his players to fill a leadership void within the squad – a gap that remains evident. "Of course in three days there are no leaders born, so that's normal," he conceded. "It is how it is."
The manager also suffered an additional blow in Bosnia when defender Maxence Lacroix was forced off just after the hour mark with what Glasner described as a potential muscle issue. This injury concern adds to Palace's challenges as they prepare for a critical period of fixtures.
While Palace have likely done enough to secure Premier League safety for another season, qualifying for European competition through their league position appears increasingly unlikely. This makes their Conference League campaign all the more important as they seek to salvage something from a challenging season.
