Christantus Uche Sparks Comfortable Crystal Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though embarking on their maiden continental adventure, Crystal Palace are learning at a rapid pace. Missing star figures like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender 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 three points in their next fixture against Finnish KuPS should be sufficient to seal straight entry to the last 16, particularly after a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Squad Members Grasp the Opportunity
This match provided a chance for several Palace's lesser-used players to impress. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning since arriving on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a clinical goal. Striker Eddie Nketiah added a second, scoring for the second consecutive match.
A Shelbourne team that had concluded their league season proved no match even for a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were already depleted by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with leg problems.
Dominance Established from the Start
Despite torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A slick move in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's incisive pass, let Nketiah to lay on Uche for a simple tap-in.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close soon after, fizzing a powerful effort over the bar. Nketiah subsequently appealed for a penalty after bursting into the box, but the official dismissed the protests.
The formerArsenal man did not have wait long to get his goal, prodding home from close range after Uche's effort had hit the post.
Shelbourne were clinging on desperately. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to avoid a booking for a couple of robust tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Seals the Game
The contest was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
After the break, coach Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest several players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring his very first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
The youngster was incredibly unlucky later on, seeing one shot crash off both posts before being gathered on the line. Uche then missed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still room for development in his game.
The only worry for Palace was a second-half knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to make his first-team debut, capping an otherwise positive night for the visiting side.
