Crystal Palace hold off Fiorentina as Sarr powers Conference League dream

What a time it is to be a Crystal Palace supporter. Twelve months ago, the south London club was still waiting to win their first major trophy and even the most optimistic fan could never have imagined that they would be contesting the semi-final of a European competition.

Despite a few anxious moments when a motivated Fiorentina team cut the deficit from last week’s 3-0 defeat in the first leg at Selhurst Park to just two goals with half an hour still to play, Oliver Glasner’s side showed their growing maturity at this level to progress to a last four showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk. While Palace made things far more uncomfortable for themselves after Ismaïla Sarr’s early header, even the loss of Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix to injuries before half-time could not knock them off their stride against opponents who have twice been beaten finalists in this competition and gave it their best shot.

After leading them to the FA Cup and Community Shield, Glasner now has the opportunity to sign off at Palace with another trophy after the acrimonious fallout from the Austrian’s announcement he would be leaving in January.

“I think 90% of our players have never played European football before and every single game, every single experience, helps us to grow individually and as a team,” he said before revealing that the Palace squad had been granted a night out in Florence to celebrate their success.

“What’s exactly the same is the players’ aspirations to go out tonight,” said Glasner when asked if he sees any similarities between Palace and the Eintracht Frankfurt team he led to Europa League glory in 2022.

“This was the same as what the Frankfurt players asked when they won the quarter-final. I agreed a few years ago that the players can go out, and I agreed tonight that the players can go out. Hopefully the ending of the story will be the same.”

The Palace fans made the most of the Florentine spring sunshine in the buildup to kick-off, with a large number having travelled without tickets just to experience their first taste of an away European quarter-final. John Salako, the former England winger who was part of the Palace team that finished third in the old First Division back in 1991 but were denied a place in Europe, was spotted enjoying himself in the piazza del Duomo during the afternoon.

With one of the stands completely closed as part of a £160m renovation that will increase its capacity to more than 40,000 by 2029, most of the 1,400 supporters lucky enough to have tickets were crammed into the far corner of this magnificent open-air arena. They certainly made their presence felt when the teams emerged, brandishing giant red and blue flags and letting off red flares as part of a special display organised by influential fans group the Holmesdale Fanatics.