Christantus Uche Ignites Comfortable Crystal Palace Victory at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though entering their first-ever European adventure, Crystal Palace are learning very quickly. Without star players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club departed Dublin with a comfortable win that all but guarantees them a place in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
Another victory in their next match against Finland's KuPS ought to be enough to seal direct entry to the last 16, especially following a prior stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Moment
This match offered a platform for several Palace's fringe players to shine. Christantus Uche, making only his second start after joining on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a clinical goal. Forward Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second consecutive succession.
A Shelbourne side that had concluded their domestic season were no match even for a largely rotated Palace outfit. The Londoners were further weakened by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee injuries.
Control Asserted from the Outset
Despite heavy rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly established dominance. A slick move in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's incisive pass, let Nketiah to set up Uche for a straightforward tap-in.
Midfielder Adam Wharton came close soon after, driving a long-range effort over the bar. Nketiah subsequently claimed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the referee waved away the protests.
The formerArsenal 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 clinging on for dear life. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to avoid a booking for a couple of agricultural challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The contest was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some weak challenges before coolly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw key individuals like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse came close to scoring his very first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one attempt strike off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche then missed a glaring chance, indicating there is still scope for improvement in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a second-half injury to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to earn his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise perfect evening for the traveling side.
