Uche Fuels Comfortable Crystal Palace Victory at Shelbourne.
Even though entering their first-ever continental adventure, Crystal Palace are adapting very quickly. Missing star players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and wing-back Daniel Muñoz, the London club departed Dublin with a comfortable result that all but secures them a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds.
A further victory in their next fixture against Finnish KuPS should be enough to seal straight entry to the knockout stages, especially following a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Moment
This occasion offered a chance for some of Palace's lesser-used players to shine. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning after arriving on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a clinical finish. Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second consecutive match.
A Shelbourne side that had concluded their league season proved outmatched even for a mostly second-string Palace outfit. The visitors were further depleted by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with knee problems.
Control Established from the Start
In spite of heavy rain in Dublin, Palace rapidly took control. A slick move in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, let Nketiah to lay on Uche for a simple finish.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close minutes later, driving a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah subsequently claimed for a penalty after bursting into the area, but the referee dismissed the appeals.
The formerArsenal man didn't need to wait long to get his goal, prodding home from a yard out after Uche's effort had hit the post.
The home side were hanging on desperately. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to avoid a booking for two agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards struck the crossbar with a header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Contest
The match was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some comically weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past keeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest key individuals like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring his first touch, only to see his shot blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off both posts before being clasped on the line. Uche also blazed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still room for improvement in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a late knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to earn his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise positive night for the traveling side.
