Uche Fuels Comfortable Palace Victory at Shelbourne.
Even though entering their first-ever continental campaign, Crystal Palace are learning very quickly. Missing key figures like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the Eagles departed Dublin with a comfortable result that all but secures them a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
A further three points in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS should be sufficient to seal direct entry to the knockout stages, especially following a prior setback against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Opportunity
This match provided a chance for several Palace's lesser-used players to impress. Christantus Uche, making only his second start after arriving on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a clinical goal. Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed a another, finding the net for the second consecutive succession.
The Shelbourne team that had concluded their league season proved no match against a largely second-string Palace outfit. The Londoners were already weakened by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee injuries.
Control Asserted from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A flowing passing sequence in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a simple finish.
Youngster Adam Wharton went close minutes later, driving a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah then claimed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the referee waved away the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal striker didn't need to wait long to find his goal, tapping home from close range after Uche's shot had hit the post.
Shelbourne were clinging on for dear life. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to escape a booking for a couple of robust challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Wraps Up the Contest
The match was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past a series of comically weak challenges before calmly dispatching a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
Following the break, coach Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest key players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring with his very first touch, only to see his effort blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche also missed a sitter of a chance, indicating there is still room for development in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a second-half injury to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This paved the way for 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to earn his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise perfect night for the traveling side.
