Uche Fuels Straightforward Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Despite embarking on their first-ever European campaign, Oliver Glasner's side are learning very quickly. Without key players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the Eagles left Dublin with a commanding win that all but guarantees them a place in the Conference League playoffs.
Another three points in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS ought to be enough to seal straight entry to the last 16, especially following a prior stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Moment
This occasion provided a platform for several Palace's lesser-used players to shine. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning after joining on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a clinical finish. Striker Eddie Nketiah added a another, finding the net for the second consecutive match.
The Shelbourne side that had concluded their domestic season were no match against a largely rotated Palace lineup. The visitors were further depleted by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee injuries.
Control Asserted from the Outset
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly took control. A slick move in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to lay on Uche for a simple finish.
Midfielder Adam Wharton went close minutes later, driving a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah subsequently appealed for a penalty after racing into the box, but the referee waved away the protests.
Ex-Arsenal striker did not have wait long to get his goal, prodding home from close range after Uche's shot had struck the post.
Shelbourne were hanging on for dear life. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to escape a booking for a couple of agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a powerful header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The match was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past a series of comically weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest key players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring his very first touch, only to see his shot blocked.
Esse was incredibly unlucky later on, seeing one attempt crash off each posts before being gathered on the line. Uche then missed a glaring chance, showing there is still scope for improvement in his game.
The only worry for Palace was a second-half knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This paved the way for 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to earn his senior debut, capping an otherwise perfect night for the traveling side.
