Report: Palace fall to defeat in Como Cup opener

The first of two quickfire 45-minute matches in Group A, Pierre Sage’s Eagles carved out a number of good opportunities but were undone by some exceptional finishing from their French opponents, ahead of an additional game against Portugal’s FC Famalicão.

Summary:

• 4 – Goal: Edouard turns in from Thauvin’s slide-rule pass across goal.
• 11: Cardines overcooks his touch with the chance to play the ball across goal.
• 13: Johnson squares for Nketiah, who bursts past his marker, but Ganiou denies him with a goalsaving challenge.
• 15: Nketiah spins brilliantly and plays through Johnson, whose effort is palmed over.
• 16: Walker-Smith heads wide from the resulting corner.
• 17: Benitez keeps out Thauvin as both teams create opportunities.
• 20 – Goal: Edouard slams home first-time volley from Abdulhaim’s cross.
• 23 – Goal: Bulatovic curls in Lens’ quickfire third.
• 43: Nketiah blazes over from distance as Palace seek a consolation goal.
• FT: Palace 0-3 RC Lens

Up against his former club, Manager Pierre Sage selected a strong Palace XI in the baking lakeside sun, with Cheick Doucouré making his first start of pre-season.

But the Eagles were behind after just four minutes when good build-up play from Lens, who finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last season under Sage, culminated in Florian Thauvin sliding the ball across goal, and former Palace striker Odsonne Edouard sliding home.

Palace responded with a spell of dominance on the ball, and quickfire chance creation, their first move – sweeping left to right – ending in Rio Cardines firing over the bar from a tight angle.

Moments later, Brennan Johnson ‘s driving run saw him square for Eddie Nketiah, who took a lovely touch to burst past his marker Ismaëlo Ganiou. As the striker prepared to shoot, Ganiou produced an immaculate challenge – surely a goal saver.

The chances kept coming. A lovely spin from Nketiah on the quarter-of-the-hour mark saw him slip in Johnson but the Wales international, advancing on goal, placed his effort slightly too close to Lens ‘keeper Hervé Koffi, who palmed it over the bar.

From the subsequent Will Hughes corner, another opportunity, Charlie Walker-Smith planting a header wide from six yards.

And just a minute later, an end-to-end game saw Thauvin given a clear opportunity – this time, it was Walter Benítez’s chance to make a fantastic close-range save.

But Lens were not to be denied, and Edouard slammed home a clinical volley on 20 minutes after being left in too much room inside the box.

Then, it was three, Andrija Bulatovic picking up on a half-clearance and curling into the top corner from 25 yards – an admittedly top-class finish.

Following a hydration break in the baking Italian sunshine, Palace steadied the ship, and produced several promising moves which – with an extra degree of sharpness which will surely arrive later in pre-season – could have led to an additional clear opportunity.

As it was, Nketiah’s drive from distance, which flew over the bar, was about as close as they came to a goal in their Como Cup opener.

A quickfire chance to recover against Famalicão followed shortly.

Palace: Benítez (GK); Canvot, Walker-Smith, Sosa; Cardines, Doucouré, Hughes, Mitchell; Rak-Sakyi, Nketiah, Johnson.

Subs not used: Whitworth (GK), Benetton (GK), Tomiyasu (T), Richards, Kamada.

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AS IT HAPPENED