Crystal Palace marked their return to European football with a 1-0 win against Fredrikstad, as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the night – www.naijnaira.com reports.
It was Palace’s first victory in Europe, achieved on an emotional evening at Selhurst Park, according to OneFootball.
Fans created a thunderous atmosphere before kick-off, celebrating the club’s first European outing since 1998, even if it came via the Conference League.
The game started slowly, with Fredrikstad sitting deep and frustrating Palace, who struggled for creativity without Eberechi Eze, absent after his move to Arsenal.
Chances eventually came when Jefferson Lerma fired just wide before Adam Wharton tested the goalkeeper with a half-volley.
Jean-Philippe Mateta came close near halftime, striking the post before Ismaïla Sarr’s header was denied by Martin Børsheim.
The second half began with more urgency from Palace, and Mateta finally made history by looping a header into the net to score the club’s first ever European goal.
The French striker is now just two goals short of reaching 50 for the South London side.
Speaking after the match, Mateta said, “I’m very happy to be the first player to score for Palace in a European competition. I was ready for the ball, and I did my job.”
Palace pushed hard for a second, with Daniel Muñoz’s header hitting the woodwork, but the scoreline remained narrow until the final whistle.
Manager Oliver Glasner’s men had 75% possession and 25 shots but will feel they should have won by a larger margin.
The return leg in Norway will see Fredrikstad hoping their home crowd and plastic pitch can tilt the tie in their favor.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
