Crystal Palace find themselves on the verge of immortality.
Oliver Glasner's European debutants will be going to Leipzig on May 27 where they will be 90 minutes away from the club's first ever European trophy. They came into their UEFA Conference League semifinal second leg at Selhurst Park with a two-goal lead and in all truth, never really looked like surrendering it.
The most important evening in a generation for Palace began with the standard pre-match pyrotechnics and a rousing rendition of club anthem "Glad All Over." The atmosphere inside Selhurst Park was one that knew the team in front of them were on the precipice of something very special. And when Jean-Philippe Mateta rose high to flick on for the pacy Yéremy Pino to slot home, that anticipation turned fervorous.
Then came VAR. Pino's composed strike was chalked off for a supremely tight offside and it was as you were. But just 15 minutes later, as a silky smooth Adam Wharton drop of the shoulder and shot at goal dropped to Daniel Muñoz before somehow finding its way into the Shakhtar Donetsk net from the most improbable of angles, Palace will have surely felt this European run was written in the stars. And this time the fervorous atmosphere looked set to remain.
But Shakhtar had something to say about that. As one of the members of the Ukrainian side's stockpile of Brazilian talent, Eguinaldo found some relatively unthreatening space in the box, he unleashed a casual cushioned flick into Dean Henderson's top corner with the English keeper rooted to the spot. It was a warning of the quality within this Shakhtar team who had actually started quicker than the hosts, despite the famed Selhurst bounce. 3-1 down but not out was the message from Arda Turan pre-match and his side played like it in the first 45, almost channeling the backs-to-the-wall attitude of Turan's playing days at Spain's great disruptors, Atletico Madrid. Palace's early disallowed goal and their opener came against the run of play. Seemingly buoyed on by the packed out away end who contributed to the noise inside the ground to no end, Shakhtar had opportunities to get well and truly back into the tie on aggregate in the first-half as they played the role of spoilsport with verve.
Unfortunately for the travelling supporters, it didn't last.
Just after the break, Ismailla Sarr got on the end of a Tyrick Mitchell cross to get his ninth of Palace's European campaign and go top of the goalscoring charts outright in the Conference League this year, with his fifth on the bounce. And this time there really was no way back for Shakhtar..
After recording the quickest goal in this competition's history in the first leg last week, Sarr was always going to be the focal point of Palace's attacking output on the night. All nine of his European goals this season have come in the knockout stages of the tournament, an extraordinary showcase of his value to this Palace side in the biggest of games, value that was once again on show on Thursday.
For large parts of this season it looked as if Palace would never get this day. After Glasner announced in January that this would be his final season at the club, a shot at the ownership followed. The Austrian said he felt "abandoned" by the hierarchy as captain Marc Guéhi's move to Manchester City drew nearer. Then came Glasner's shot at his own fans, telling the Palace faithful to "stay humble" as results in the league and in Europe took a turn for the worse. There were fan banners calling for Glasner, the man that won the club their first ever major trophy, to leave in February. Even the novelty of Palace's first ever season in Europe began to wear off as tame draws against AEK Larnaca and Zrinjski contributed to the fans' displeasure with how the season was going. And combined with Jean Phillipe-Mateta's January attempts to jump ship, there was a feeling of trepidation at Selhurst Park, just six months after the biggest day in the club's history when they won the FA Cup.
But the effect of a European trophy being firmly on the horizon courtesy of convincing wins over two-time finalists Fiorentina in the quarterfinal before this tie have been clear to see. With Glasner continuing to rotate domestically, putting all his eggs into the Conference League basket, Palace's league form has seen them dragged all the way down to 15th. Despite that, the atmosphere in South London has completely changed from what it was in the new year, evident on Thursday night, and a trip to the east of Germany for a European final will only compound that feeling tenfold.
And after Sarr's diving touch to put Palace in front on the night, it was a relatively comfortable close out job for the home side as Selhurst Park went into party mode for the remainder. Their record of six clean sheets in the last seven at home coming to the fore. With the cushion of their aggregate lead, full-time didn't bring any wild celebrations from the Palace players or Glasner himself. They have made history but know that the job is not done yet, a mentality instilled by the Austrian manager.
Glasner has history on the continent, winning the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021, overcoming Barcelona and West Ham on his way to a victorious final against Rangers. And his knockout expertise has carried Palace through some tricky periods in the knockout stages, including at times over this two-legged semifinal. Their victorious FA Cup campaign last year saw one-off wins over Fulham, Aston Villa and eventually Manchester City in the final. Glasner is a man that knows how to navigate the business end of tournaments and although Palace were one of the favourites coming into this competition, he has proved that once again by guiding them to a final at the first time of asking in Europe.
He isn't a manager who shies away on the mic either, speaking ahead of the biggest night in the club's modern history, Glasner chose a unique analogy to describe the opportunity presented to them. An opportunity they grabbed with both hands.
"They [Crystal Palace fans and players] tasted the honey last year with the FA Cup and this year with the Conference League, and they want honey again, they won't be happy with just avocado, they want it a bit sweeter," he said.
Arguably one of Glasner's biggest achievements in south London, is turning Palace into a club who now carry an expectation to not just compete at the highest level but win big trophies. They've tasted European nights at Selhurst and Glasner has an opportunity to hand Palace a hive full of honey in the form of a Europa League campaign next season as his parting gift in Leipzig. They will travel to Germany as favourites and have earned that tag but perhaps more notably they take with them that sense of expectation. For many Palace supporters, that is not something they would have associated with their club even in their wildest dreams not too long ago. It is down to Glasner that a mentality of competition success is now, rightfully, a given at Selhurst.
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And defeating this Shakhtar side was no easy feat. They are a team playing for much more than just results on the pitch. The Ukrainian side, whose quest for a second European trophy since the UEFA Cup in 2009 is now over, play to help those at home forget and to make sure those outside of Ukraine do not forget about their nation's plight after Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. Their only defeats in the last 10 have come to Palace and they sit handsomely clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League. They lined up ahead of kick-off with the Ukrainian flag donned on their backs, a poignant message to the footballing world. Shakhtar have endured far worse than this semifinal exit, and they will be back.
Wharton, one of Palace's most sought after assets, explained to TNT Sports afterwards what it meant to him and the club reaching a European final.
"It's just amazing. I think this is the best Selhurst has been in my just over two years here. The atmosphere is unbelievable, you can tell how much it means to south London, packed stadium," he said.
"It's an incredible feeling and one I'll never forget. Everywhere in the club, the team, the staff, the fans, throughout the club, everyone just wants to do well for the club. First trophy last year in 120 years and we're trying to get another for the fans, it means everything to them. You get goosebumps, it's incredible."
For Palace, what awaits now is a seismic day in the club's history against potentially the story of the tournament so far in Rayo Vallecano. South London will attempt to take over Leipzig in a few weeks' time and after their FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs in the last 12 months, it is an opportunity not to cap off a golden period in the club's history but to kickstart a new one.
Unprecedented success usually has that impact. Crystal Palace now have that opportunity.
