Christantus Uche Sparks Comfortable Palace Win at Shelbourne.
Even though entering their first-ever continental adventure, Crystal Palace are learning at a rapid pace. Without star players like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a comfortable win that all but secures them a spot in the Conference League qualifying rounds.
A further victory in their next match against Finnish KuPS ought to be enough to seal direct entry to the last 16, especially after a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Moment
This occasion provided a platform for some of Palace's fringe players to shine. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning since arriving on loan from Getafe, notched the scoring with a well-taken finish. Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second consecutive match.
The Shelbourne side that had concluded their domestic season were no match even for a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were already depleted by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with knee injuries.
Control Established from the Start
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 set up Uche for a simple tap-in.
Midfielder Adam Wharton came close minutes later, fizzing a powerful shot over the bar. Nketiah subsequently claimed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the official waved away the protests.
The formerArsenal man did not have wait long to get his goal, tapping home from a yard out after Uche's effort had struck the post.
Shelbourne were hanging on desperately. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to escape a booking for two robust tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a powerful header from a corner.
Pino Wraps Up the Contest
The match was as good as over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past a series of weak challenges before coolly dispatching a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw several individuals like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse almost scoring his first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche then blazed a sitter of a chance, indicating there is still room for improvement in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a second-half injury to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This paved the way for 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to make his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise positive night for the traveling side.
