Christantus Uche Fuels Straightforward Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though embarking on their first-ever continental adventure, Oliver Glasner's side are learning very quickly. Without star players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender Daniel Muñoz, the Eagles departed Dublin with a commanding win that all but guarantees them a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
A further victory in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS ought to be enough to seal direct entry to the knockout stages, particularly following a prior setback against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Opportunity
This match provided a chance for several Palace's lesser-used talent to shine. Christantus Uche, making only his second start after arriving on loan from Getafe, notched the scoring with a well-taken finish. Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, scoring for the second consecutive succession.
The Shelbourne team that had concluded their league season proved no match even for a largely rotated Palace lineup. The visitors were already depleted by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with leg injuries.
Dominance Asserted from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly took control. A slick move in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, let Nketiah to set up Uche for a straightforward finish.
Midfielder Adam Wharton went close minutes later, driving a long-range effort over the bar. Nketiah subsequently appealed for a penalty after racing into the box, but the official dismissed the protests.
Ex-Arsenal man didn't need to wait long to get his goal, prodding home from close range after Uche's effort had hit the post.
The home side were hanging on for dear life. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to escape a booking for two agricultural challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The match was as good as over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past a series of comically weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
After the break, coach Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw key players like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse almost scoring with his very first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off each posts before being gathered on the line. Uche then blazed a glaring chance, indicating there is still scope for development in his game.
The only worry for Palace was a late injury to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This paved the way for 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to make his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise positive night for the traveling side.