AZ Outclassed by Crystal Palace in 3-1 UEFA Conference League Defeat
AZ were convincingly beaten by Premier League side Crystal Palace on Thursday evening in the UEFA Conference League. The Dutch club lost 3-1, and only luck prevented the home side from scoring more at Selhurst Park.
First Half Pressure from Palace
Palace, winners of the English FA Cup and thus qualified for the tournament, created their first major chance in the 11th minute. A long pass was headed back across goal by Chris Richards and controlled by Ismaila Sarr, whose volley struck the post.
Shortly after, Palace were awarded a penalty when Yeremy Pino’s through ball found Sarr, only for Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro to bring him down. Regular penalty taker Jean-Philippe Mateta saw his effort saved by Owusu-Oduro.
Relentless Attacks Lead to the First Goal
Following the missed penalty, Oliver Glazer’s men launched a wave of attacks on the AZ goal. Owusu-Oduro produced a superb save from a Sarr header, and seconds later, Will Hughes’ looping volley clipped the crossbar. The pressure soon paid off.
“A long ball into the box was nodded down by Sarr to center back Maxine Lacroix, whose volley was low and hard into the corner.”
Late First-Half Response from AZ
AZ tested Palace keeper Dean Henderson for the first time during stoppage time in the opening half. Sven Mijnans fired from outside the box, but Henderson parried it away from the corner. Just a minute later, Palace struck again to double their advantage.
Author’s Summary
Crystal Palace dominated from start to finish, displaying attacking precision and control, while AZ struggled to keep pace in a one-sided Conference League clash.