Uche Sparks Comfortable Palace Victory at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Despite embarking on their first-ever continental adventure, Oliver Glasner's side are learning very quickly. Without star figures like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the Eagles departed Dublin with a comfortable win that virtually guarantees them a place in the Europa Conference League playoffs.
A further victory in their next match against Finland's KuPS ought to be sufficient to secure straight entry to the last 16, especially following a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Opportunity
This match provided a chance for some of Palace's lesser-used players to impress. Christantus Uche, making only his second beginning after joining on loan from Getafe, notched the account with a well-taken goal. Forward Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second consecutive succession.
A Shelbourne team that had finished their league season proved outmatched even for a largely second-string Palace outfit. The Londoners were already weakened by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee problems.
Control Established from the Start
Despite heavy rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A slick passing sequence in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a simple tap-in.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close soon after, driving a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah then claimed for a penalty after racing into the box, but the official dismissed the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal striker did not have wait long to find his goal, prodding home from a yard out after Uche's effort had hit the post.
The home side were hanging on for dear life. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to escape a booking for two robust challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Wraps Up the Contest
The contest was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past a series of weak challenges before calmly dispatching a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
Following the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw key players like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse came close to scoring with his very first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one attempt crash off both posts before being gathered on the line. Uche then blazed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still scope for improvement in his game.
A solitary concern for Palace was a late knock to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This paved the way for 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to earn his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise positive evening for the traveling side.
