Crystal Palace defeated Dutch side AZ Alkmaar 3–1 in the UEFA Europa Conference League at Selhurst Park.
Maxence Lacroix opened the scoring for Palace before Ismaïla Sarr doubled the advantage. Sven Mijnans pulled one back for Alkmaar in the 54th minute, but three minutes later Sarr struck again to restore Palace’s two–goal lead and seal the win.
The result means Crystal Palace now have two victories from their three group matches.
After the game, manager Oliver Glasner praised his team’s performance and the quality of their opponents:
“A very good win, important win against, honestly, a very good Alkmaar team. This is what we expected; they play really nice football. First half, it took us 10 or 15 minutes, but then I think we dominated with our physicality, scoring nice goals and, of course, missing a penalty. The beginning felt like the story of the Conference League, missing too many chances.”
Glasner added that the team’s progress and confidence continue to grow:
“It was a tough game, but a very good result and performance. Maybe not on top, but it was also really OK. We always have confidence. In every game we’ve played now in the Conference League and also in the Premier League and all the cup competitions, we’ve shown we are competitive. That does not mean we win every single game, but it shows we can win and that is always the most important thing.”
Reflecting on the team’s display, he noted areas for improvement but was satisfied with the result:
“We had, I think, a deserved lead at half time. I think we could have done a little bit better with our front three; they pressed us man to man, we did not have really good movements, we lost the balls a little bit too easily. A very important three points. Now, having six points looks good, and now it is focus on Brighton.”
Crystal Palace will now turn their attention to the Premier League where they will face Brighton in their next fixture.