Crystal Palace are one game from turning an extraordinary year into something close to folklore.
Oliver Glasner, already the manager who ended the club’s long wait for a major trophy, has now taken Palace to the UEFA Conference League final after a 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park completed a 5-2 aggregate victory. Daniel Muñoz struck first, Shakhtar replied through Eguinaldo, and Ismaila Sarr delivered the decisive second-half goal.
Before Glasner’s arrival, Palace had never lifted a major trophy. That changed with last season’s FA Cup triumph, a 1-0 Wembley win over Manchester City sealed by Eberechi Eze’s goal and Dean Henderson’s penalty save. They followed it by beating Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield, turning what had once been a cabinet of near-misses into something suddenly heavy with silver.
Now the Eagles have a European final to prepare for. Their opponents will be Rayo Vallecano, with the showpiece scheduled for May 27 in Leipzig. For Palace, who entered the Conference League after being moved down from the Europa League because of UEFA multi-club ownership rules involving Lyon, the journey has carried an added edge.
Glasner’s work has been all the more striking because his future has been framed as a farewell. Reports say the Austrian is set to leave at the end of the season, making the final potentially his last match in charge. Will Old Trafford lure him away? That’s a story for another day.
Win it, and Palace will have collected the FA Cup, Community Shield and a European trophy in little more than a year. For a club long defined by survival, noise and stubborn romance, Glasner could leave behind not just memories, but the most glittering chapter in Palace history.
