Christantus Uche Fuels Comfortable Crystal Palace Win at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though entering their maiden European campaign, Oliver Glasner's side are adapting at a rapid pace. Without key players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a comfortable win that all but guarantees them a place in the Conference League qualifying rounds.
Another three points in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS ought to be sufficient to seal straight passage to the knockout stages, especially following a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Opportunity
This match provided a platform for several Palace's fringe talent to impress. Christantus Uche, making only his second start after arriving on loan from Getafe, notched the scoring with a clinical finish. Forward Eddie Nketiah added a another, finding the net for the second game in match.
The Shelbourne side that had concluded their league season proved no match even for a largely second-string Palace outfit. The visitors were further weakened by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee problems.
Control Asserted from the Start
Despite torrential rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly established dominance. A flowing passing sequence in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a straightforward tap-in.
Midfielder Adam Wharton went close minutes later, driving a powerful effort over the bar. Nketiah then claimed for a penalty after racing into the area, but the referee waved away the appeals.
Ex-Arsenal man didn't need to wait long to find his goal, tapping home from a yard out after Uche's effort had hit the post.
Shelbourne were hanging on desperately. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was fortunate to avoid a booking for a couple of agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Game
The contest was as good as over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some 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 key players like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse came close to scoring with his very first touch, but saw his effort blocked.
The youngster was incredibly unlucky later on, seeing one shot crash off both posts before being gathered on the line. Uche also blazed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still room for development in his game.
The only worry for Palace was a second-half injury to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to make his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise positive evening for the visiting side.
