Report & Highlights: Mateta pounces to give Palace first-leg lead

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace as Lerma, Sosa and Devenny come into the side.
• 22: An opening of few chances, but Palace dominate possession.
• 31: Sosa attempts to capitalise on a defensive mix-up, but Børsheim saves.
• 34: Fredrikstad threaten as Holten deflects over from close range.
• 38: Mateta hits the base of the post as Palace finish the half strongly.
• 41: Woledzi heads off the line after Børsheim saves from Sarr.
• HT: Palace 0-0 Fredrikstad
• 50: Devenny is picked out by Guéhi’s cross, but nods over the bar.
• 55 – GOAL: Mateta reacts sharply to deflect Hughes’ half-volley past the ‘keeper.
• 66: Sosa fires over the bar from range, after Mateta’s pull-back evades Sarr.
• 78: Muñoz heads against the outside of the post as Palace pile on the pressure.
• 90+2: Skogvold bursts clear for the visitors late on, but fires across goal.
• FT: Palace 1-0 Fredrikstad

As Oliver Glasner surmised in his pre-match press conference, this – continental football at Selhurst Park, for the first time in a major UEFA competition – was the reward: the reward for a season of unity, team spirit, and a history-making FA Cup victory.

Although the Conference League had not been at the forefront of Palace’s thinking that day after Wembley, there was no shortage of buzz around SE25 as the Palace supporters welcomed major European football to Selhurst Park, 101 years after its opening.

A light show and wall of noise welcomed both the FA Cup winners and Norwegian Cup winners to the pitch, with both sets of supporters – home and away – in fine voice.

Then, after this most eventful of summers, we were underway in Europe.

In truth, the first quarter of the game panned out as Glasner had predicted in his pre-match press conference, Fredrikstad sitting deep in a low block, bodies behind the ball, forcing Palace to try their luck from range time and again – which they duly did, having been utterly dominant in possession.

Adam Wharton and Mateta both tested goalkeeper Martin Børsheim’s handling from distance, with efforts which were well-worked and well-struck, if too close to the ‘keeper to truly trouble him.

Borna Sosa, making his Selhurst Park debut, had the clearest opportunity of the first 30 minutes after a defensive mix-up at the back gave him a glint at an empty goal from 40 yards. The clearance, however, was awkward for him to control, and by the time the ball had sat for him to shoot from distance, the opportunity had all but disappeared.

Indeed, the first clear chance of the game did in fact go the Norwegians’ way – a determined run from Sondre Sørløkk saw him drive into the box with the ball and get to the touchline. His flat delivery across goal hit the thigh of top scorer Emil Holten – and thankfully deflected over the bar.

That prompted a flurry of late first-half opportunities for Palace, with Mateta going even closer moments later, his snapshot from just inside the box taking a hefty deflection and clipping the outside of the post before flying wide of the mark.

Palace would come even closer moments later, a deep cross – a theme of Palace’s attacks – from Marc Guéhi finding Ismaíla Sarr running in at the far post. His header back across goal was brilliantly saved by Børsheim – and with the ball dropping towards the goal, and Justin Devenny interested, Maxwell Woledzi headed off the line.

Goalless at the break, but a half which had ended with Palace very much in the ascendancy – which they continued in a more energetic early second-half display.

On 50 minutes, another deep cross from Guéhi – a peach – picked out Devenny between two defenders, but under pressure, the young midfielder leant back and nodded over the bar.

Four minutes later, and those waves of pressure eventually told with Palace’s first-ever goal in European football.

A Sosa corner kick was cleared only as far as Will Hughes inside the box. His first half-volley skipped off the turf and was headed back to him.

His second reached Mateta at the perfect height – but the Frenchman’s reflexes needed to be sharp to deflect the ball in the opposite direction, and past Borsheim from close range, for a historic moment in SE25, celebrated, of course, with a corner flag flying.

Palace continued to press from thereon out for a second goal which would have pushed the overall tie further in their favour, without too many clear chances to show for it, as Fredrikstad defended stoutly.

Mateta showed all his strength on 66 minutes to win the ball near the corner flag, and although his pull-back towards Sarr narrowly evaded the No. 7, it did reach Sosa, whose whipped strike across goal cleared the bar.

With just under a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Palace hit the post again. This time, it was Jefferson Lerma with the flat delivery, and Daniel Muñoz – sprinting in to meet it at the far post – smacked a header against the outside of the post.

Try as they might, Palace could not find the second goal – and in the closing seconds were almost made to pay for it when Henrik Skogvold burst clear down the left for the visitors. Thankfully, with just Dean Henderson to beat, his strike across goal was scuffed – and bobbled wide of the far post.

To Norway we go, then, with a one-goal advantage – a first-leg victory on a historic night in SE25.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Lerma, Lacroix, Guéhi, Sosa, Hughes, Wharton, Sarr, Devenny (Edouard, 69), Mateta.

Subs: Matthews (GK), Benítez (GK), Richards, Mitchell, Clyne, Cardines, Esse, Rak-Sakyi.

Fredrikstad: Borsheim (GK), S. Owusu, Fredriksen, Woledzi, Eid, Metcalfe, L. Owusu (Shein, 83), Sorlokk (Solberg, 64), Molde, Ohlenschlaeger (Bjartalid, 76), Holten (Hummelvoll-Nunez, 64).

Subs: Ovretveit (GK), Langbraten (GK), Okpaleke, Rafn, Kvile, Begby, Skogvold, Granaas.

As It Happened