Shakhtar Donetsk 1-3 Crystal Palace: Ocheretko 47; Sarr 1, Kamada 58, Strand Larsen 84
Crystal Palace will back themselves to reach the Conference League final after seizing control of the semi-final with a 3-1 first-leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk, substitute Jorgen Strand Larsen delivering the sucker punch with six minutes to go in normal time.
Palace started as brightly as they possibly could. Just inside 21 seconds, attacking maestro Ismaila Sarr raced through to score the fastest goal in the competition’s history, latching onto a slick exchange involving Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daichi Kamada to stun a Shakhtar side barely settled.
But if the Ukrainian club were shocked and jolted by that they responded brilliantly, dominating possession and probing insistently. A compact Palace side kept their opponents at bay and carried a threat on the break, and by the end of the first half they had even begun to wrest back a measure of control.
However, it was Shakhtar who were celebrating just minutes into the first half after pulling level. From a corner, Kaua Elias won the initial header and Oleh Ocheretko was left unmarked to convert from close range.
Palace responded quickly, Mateta striking the post before both he and Sarr forced saves from Dmytro Riznyk as the game opened up. The pressure told just before the hour when one of Palace’s potent set-pieces caused the ball to drop for Kamada in the box and he fired beyond Riznyk to restore the lead.
Then late on Palace had their two-goal cushion after Strand Larsen was put through on goal, the January signing then finding the composure to cut away from his man and dink the ball above Riznyk for his first European goal.
