AZ Outclassed by Crystal Palace in UEFA Conference League
AZ suffered a 3-1 defeat to English Premier League side Crystal Palace on Thursday evening in the UEFA Conference League. The Alkmaarders struggled at Selhurst Park, with luck preventing Palace from scoring even more.
First Half Highlights
- Crystal Palace, who qualified by winning the English FA Cup, created their first chance in the 11th minute. Chris Richards headed a long ball back into the box, where Ismaila Sarr controlled it on his chest before hitting the goalpost with a volley.
- A few minutes later, Palace was awarded a penalty. Yeremy Pino’s through ball reached Sarr via Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro, but Jean-Philippe Mateta's penalty was saved by Owusu-Oduro, despite Mateta’s strong penalty record.
- After the missed penalty, Palace pressed hard with multiple attempts. Owusu-Oduro made a remarkable save from a Sarr header, and Will Hughes struck a volley that hit the crossbar.
- The home side opened the scoring shortly after. Sarr nodded a long ball down to center back Maxime Lacroix, who volleyed low into the corner.
- AZ tested Palace’s keeper Dean Henderson in injury time of the first half. Sven Mijnans fired a shot from outside the area, which Henderson tipped away.
"Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has a good record from penalties, saw his effort saved by Owusu-Oduro."
Palace then doubled their lead just before halftime, putting AZ under more pressure.
Author’s Summary
Crystal Palace dominated AZ at Selhurst Park, showcasing strong attacking play and resilience despite a missed penalty, ultimately securing a solid 3-1 victory.