Crystal Palace move closer to Conference League last 16 with convincing win over Shelbourne
Crystal Palace cruised to a 3-0 victory over Shelbourne in the UEFA Conference League, moving the Eagles within one point of a top-eight spot.
The visitors adapted quickly to the tricky conditions at Dublin’s Tallaght Stadium, though an early opportunity went begging when Marc Guehi couldn’t capitalise on a long Chris Richards throw.
Palace soon broke the deadlock, however. Just 11 minutes into his first start for the club, Christantus Uche scored after Eddie Nketiah’s clever pass set him up. Adam Wharton tested Shelbourne’s defence with long-range efforts, while Paddy Barrett’s curling attempt at the other end went harmlessly wide.
The Eagles doubled their lead in the 25th minute, with Uche once again involved. He slid in to meet Yeremy Pino’s through ball, allowing Nketiah to convert after the ball struck the post. Palace continued to dominate, with Nketiah denied by Mark Coyle shortly afterward, and Richards hitting the crossbar before Nketiah’s follow-up went into the side netting.
Palace’s attacking flair produced a third goal in the 37th minute. Pino ran through Shelbourne’s defence with ease before smashing a precise shot into the bottom corner. Despite Palace’s dominance, Shelbourne nearly responded before the break, only for goalkeeper Wessel Speel to deny Borna Sosa’s strike.
After the interval, Oliver Glasner made three substitutions, but the flow of the game remained unchanged. Speel quickly recovered from a near mistake to block Nketiah’s shot, and Romain Esse saw several attempts thwarted, including one that rattled both posts before Speel recovered. Jefferson Lerma and Richards also narrowly missed with headers.
The night ended on a bittersweet note for Shelbourne as Justin Devenny went off injured, giving 17-year-old Benji Casey his senior debut. Palace bounced back from their defeat to Strasbourg in the previous UECL match, claiming their third consecutive win in all competitions and moving into ninth place for now.
The loss leaves Shelbourne rooted at 34th in the standings with just one point and no goals scored.
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