Report: Eagles soar into Conference League last 16

The Eagles dominated the ball in both halves but were forced to work hard for the win, as Lacroix’s header from Adam Wharton’s free-kick – and a late powerful drive from Guessand – powered Palace past their resolute visitors at a boisterous Selhurst Park.

Summary:

• Three changes for Palace as Lacroix, Kamada and Guessand all start.
• Captain Dean Henderson makes 100th Crystal Palace appearance.
• 6: Strand Larsen gets into space on edge of the box; his deflected effort flies wide.
• 15: Guessand’s deflected header drops narrowly wide of the far post following a throw.
• 23: Kamada seizes on a loose ball inside the box, but Savic somehow gets a block in.
• 29: Sarr nicks wide from Mitchell’s low ball to the near post.
• 36 – GOAL: Lacroix thumps header home from Wharton’s free-kick to put Palace ahead in the tie.
• 41: Mikic wriggles free for Zrinjski, but his wild effort flies over the bar.
• HT: Palace 1-0 Zrinjski Mostar (2-1 on aggregate)
• 63: Second-half starts physically once more, Richards glancing over from Kamada’s ball in.
• 65: Kamada’s whipped free-kick deflects off the American moments later.
• 68: Djurasek taps in forZrinjski but the effort is immediately ruled out for offside.
• 78: Guessand seizes on Barisic’s loose touch and his chip is blocked by Karacic.
• 80: Sarr’s header from Mitchell’s cross whistles past the upright.
• 85: The No. 7 then races clear from Richards through ball, but cannot beat Karacic.
• 90+1: Juric glances wide from a corner for Zrinjski.
• 90+3 – GOAL: Guessand seals the win with a powerful low late finish.
• FT: Palace 2-0 Zrinjski Mostar (3-1 on aggregate)

Crystal Palace’s first-ever knockout tie in a major European competition – and coincidentally HSK Zrinjski Mostar’s – entered its second leg on a knife-edge, following a tense 1-1 draw in Bosnia & Herzegovina the week prior.

It came as no surprise, then, that Selhurst Park produced its most vociferous support to match the occasion, as the Eagles went in search of a second-leg victory and – with it – a place in the UEFA Conference League last 16.

Oliver Glasner opted to make three changes to the team which required a 90th-minute winner to edge past a stalwart Wolverhampton Wanderers in SE25 at the weekend: winning goalscorer Evann Guessand was rewarded for his maiden Palace strike with a start, whilst Maxence Lacroix shook off injury to start, and Daichi Kamada also came in.

After captain Dean Henderson was presented with a tribute to his 100 appearances, a landmark attained on the evening of the game, and the two sets of supporters gave the players a noisy welcome, the action got underway.

Just as had proven the case at the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium a week prior, it started tensely – the Bosnian champions content to sit deep in a low block, and challenge Glasner’s side to break them down with the majority of possession.

It took six or so minutes for the first half-chance to arrive for Palace, Jørgen Strand Larsen taking a clever touch on the edge of the box from Wharton’s line-breaking pass – his venomous shot looped up and sailed behind off a trailing Zrinjski defender.

Almost 10 minutes later, Guessand came close. Zrinjski failed to clear their lines from a Chris Richards long throw and after Wharton hooked the ball back into the danger area, Guessand’s header took a dangerous deflection off defender Hrvoje Barisic – dropping just wide of the far post.

It felt like a matter of time of when, not if, one of these deflections went Palace’s way; they came close again midway through the first-half. Strand Larsen leapt high to knock the ball into Kamada’s path, and the midfielder’s fierce strike nicked the back of Igor Savic, but again whistled wide of the post.

Looking to open the scoring for a second successive European game, Ismaïla Sarr was next to come close. Tyrick Mitchell’s low ball to the near post was met by the Senegal forward ahead of goalkeeper Goran Karacic, yet the angle proved too tight to divert home.

From there, the half took a scrappier turn, with a flurry of bookings for both sides as Palace sought a breakthrough and the visitors responded robustly.

That ill discipline did cost Zrinjski after 36 minutes however – and gave Palace a much-needed, and much-deserved, lead in the tie.

After Guessand was brought down out wide on the left, Wharton stepped up to take the free-kick and picked out Lacroix – steaming into the six-yard box unmarked – with precision.

The vice-captain’s header – and celebration – was emphatic, and equally sent Selhurst into rapture.

It was the least Palace’s dominance deserved, but Zrinjski did have one half-chance on the stroke of half-time when Leo Mikic wriggled free on the edge of the ‘D’ – only to fire wildly over the bar.

Where a bitty first-half concluded, the second-half picked up – Palace seeing as much as 70% of possession in stretches, but coming up against a stalwart visiting defence.

Set-pieces continued to provide Palace’s clearest openings; not long past the hour mark, Chris Richards twice went close from Daichi Kamada deliveries, the first being glanced over from close range and the latter taking an unfortunate nick off him on the way through before going wide.

Those two half-chances paved way for Zrinjski’s strongest five minutes of the match: Neven Djurasek tapped home from close range after substitute Matej Sakota escaped down the left – only for the offside flag to instantly go up against the latter – before the Eagles were forced to defend a threatening corner kick.

Brennan Johnson was summoned for with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining as Glasner looked to use the forward’s pace as a weapon to kill off the tie.

But it was fellow forward Guessand who was next to come close, seizing onto Barisic’s loose touch and racing into the box. Attemping to chip the onrushing Karacic, the goalkeeper managed to get a touch to it to divert it wide.

Two minutes later, Sarr came within inches of settling the tie – Mitchell’s in-swinging cross was perfectly into the No. 7’s path, but the forward could not direct it on target.

The next chance, with five minutes remaining, was more gilt-edged; Richards’ raking ball forwards set Sarr clear, in acres of clear space. One-on-one, the striker opted for power, but blasted straight at Karacic – and the ball flew clear.

There were a few final direct attacks to ride out from Zrinjski in the closing stages, and Tomi Juric might think he ought to have done better with a header from a corner kick in the first minute of stoppage time.

Yet the tie was well and truly put to bed when Guessand, for the second time in five days, made a clever late run into space in the box and – after exchanging passes with Johnson – finished powerfully across the 'keeper to put the tie beyond all doubt.

The European adventure continues.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Muñoz, Wharton (Hughes, 56), Kamada, Mitchell, Sarr, Strand Larsen (Johnson, 74), Guessand.

Subs: Benítez (GK), Matthews (GK), Riad, Clyne, Sosa, Cardines, Devenny, Rodney, Pino.

Zrinjski Mostar: Karačić (GK), Vranjkovic, Barisic, Dujmovic, Mamic; Djurasek (Memija, 87), Savic, Abramovic (Lagumdzija, 87), Ivancic (Cavar, 87), Mikic (Juric, 78), Cuze (Sakota, 66).

Subs: Bogdan (GK), Sajko (GK), Karacic, Arapovic, Nalic, Surdanovic, Majic.

As It Happened