Crystal Palace are just one step away from making history. In their very first season of European football, the Eagles have taken a commanding lead in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals, defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in the first leg on Thursday.
Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada, and Jorgen Strand Larsen gave Palace a two-goal advantage heading into the return leg, putting them on the brink of a final berth in Leipzig on May 27. It's a remarkable run for a club that had never won a major trophy before last season's FA Cup final shocker against Manchester City.
The match got off to a dream start for the visitors. Just 21 seconds in, Jean-Philippe Mattea and Yeremy Pino combined brilliantly, with Mattea feeding Sarr to fire home his 18th goal of the season—eight of which have come in the Conference League. It looked like Palace might run away with it.
But Shakhtar, who have remained remarkably competitive despite their long exile from Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, refused to back down. Arda Turan's side pinned back their Premier League opponents for the rest of the first half and got their reward early in the second period when Oleh Ocheretko slotted home from close range after Palace failed to clear a corner.
The equalizer, however, sparked Oliver Glasner's men back to life. Dmytro Riznyk produced a brilliant double save to deny Sarr and Mateta, and the French striker then hit the post from a long throw. But Shakhtar didn't heed the warning. From Chris Richards' next throw into the box, the ball broke kindly for Kamada to drill under Riznyk and restore Palace's lead.
In their quest for an equalizer, Shakhtar were then picked off on the counter-attack. Kamada picked out Strand Larsen, who joined Palace for a club-record £48 million in February. The Norwegian coolly cut inside and chipped the onrushing Riznyk for his fourth goal since joining from Wolves, sealing a 3-1 win that puts the Eagles firmly in control.
With Rayo Vallecano holding a 1-0 lead over Strasbourg in the other semi-final, Palace are now favorites to add a second trophy in 12 months. For a club that had never tasted major silverware before last season, this European adventure is quickly becoming the stuff of dreams.