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Crystal Palace reach their 1st-ever European final: Key stats
08 May 2026

Crystal Palace have made history by reaching their first-ever European final.

The Eagles secured their spot in the UEFA Conference League final after a 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park on Thursday.

The win gave them a 5-2 aggregate triumph in the semi-final tie.

Ismaila Sarr scored the decisive goal for Palace, who will now face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on May 27.

How did the match pan out?
Match highlights

The match at Selhurst Park saw Palace have an early lead through Yeremy Pino, whose ninth-minute strike was ruled offside after a VAR check.

Daniel Munoz then scored the opening goal for Palace. However, Shakhtar's Eguinaldo leveled the score on the night with a stunning effort.

Just seven minutes into the second half, Sarr scored his 19th goal of the season to ensure Palace's passage to their first-ever European final.

Palace's maiden European final
Path to final

Crystal Palace's journey to the final has been historic.

The club, which has reached its first-ever European final, will now get a chance to add another trophy to their cabinet.

They already have an FA Cup and FA Community Shield title won under outgoing manager Oliver Glasner.

The final against Rayo Vallecano will be held at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on May 27.

3rd English club with this European record
Fact

As per Opta, Crystal Palace are only the third English club to reach the final in their first ever season in major European competition, after West Ham United in the 1964-65 Cup Winners' Cup and Newcastle United in the 1968-69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

Here are the match stats
Fact

Palace had 11 attempts with 5 shots on target. The visitors managed 17 attempts out of which six were on target. Shakhtar had 35 touches in Palace's box whereas the hosts managed 20 such touches. In terms of ball possession, Shakhtar had 66.50% of the same.