Matt Thacker
For generations, it was the sort of dream Crystal Palace supporters never truly believed they would witness. European finals were reserved for football’s elite, the giants of the game, clubs built on silverware and pedigree. But now, Palace have entered dreamland.
Against all odds, against everything supporters have lived through over the decades, Crystal Palace are going to a European final. The impossible is now a reality.
A year after lifting the FA Cup in May 2025, Palace are heading to Leipzig for the UEFA Conference League Final – the first European final in the club’s history and the crowning moment of a journey few thought imaginable.
In the space of just one extraordinary year, Palace have lifted the FA Cup, won the Community Shield, and now reached a European final.
This season has become a marathon of emotion, resilience, and reinvention. The final in Leipzig will mark Palace’s 60th match of the season, a number that perfectly captures the scale of the journey Oliver Glasner’s side has travelled since August.
It began with silverware at Wembley. Then came uncertainty. Palace qualified for Europe, and after months of ownership issues, were demoted from the Europa League into the Conference League, with Nottingham Forest taking their place.
Questions were asked about whether the club could recover from the setback. Instead, they built something historic.
Sixteen European matches later, they now prepare for their 17th and the biggest of them all.
Their semi-final victory over Shakhtar Donetsk encapsulated everything this team has become. Last week in Poland, Palace produced one of their finest European performances to earn a commanding 3-1 first-leg lead.
@forfitnesssake PALACE ARE IN A EUROPEAN FINAL 🦅🦅🦅 #cpfc #crystalpalace #uefa #fyp #lacroix ♬ ROCKSTAR – DaBaby, Roddy Ricch
Yet inside Selhurst Park, nobody expected an easy night. Red and Blue Flags and scarves waved across every stand. Selhurst Park was preparing to host the biggest game at the ground in the club’s history.
Jeremy Pino thought he had ignited the night early on, only for VAR to silence the celebrations. Soon after, Daniel Muñoz fired Palace ahead from a tight angle, sending Selhurst into delirium. The goal was officially given as a Pedrinho own goal, but Muñoz took all the credit as Palace moved one step closer to Leipzig.
Shakhtar responded before the break, but Palace emerged for the second half looking like a side that had truly grown into Europe.
Then came the moment that sealed history. Ismaïla Sarr, the star of Palace’s European run, struck again to secure a 2–1 victory on the night and a commanding 5–2 aggregate triumph. His ninth goal of the competition made him both Palace’s leading scorer in Europe this season and the Conference League’s top scorer overall.
This season has not been smooth. Palace lost Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi at the start and midway point of the season. Questions surrounded Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future. Even Glasner revealed midway through the campaign that he would leave at the end of the season. Belief fractured at times. Yet on one unforgettable night in south London, the connection returned.
More than an hour into the match, the Holmesdale End once again sang Glasner’s name. On the pitch, Palace’s heroes delivered again. Tyrick Mitchell embodied the spirit of the club with a tireless display full of heart, while Daichi Kamada orchestrated the game with elegance and intelligence. In the words of the fans he was running the show! Oliver Glasner even handed Nathaniel Clyne his 250th Palace appearance, a remarkable moment for a player who came through the club’s academy and is now representing the first team on the European stage.
One Palace fan summed it all up after the match: “I have supported this team through the highs and the lows, many lows, but this is the highest of the high. Thank you to all who are making this happen, from the chairman to the cleaners at the training ground. Thank you from the bottom of our red and blue hearts.”
Palace supporters are living in dreamland? Sixteen years ago there was Survival Sunday. Now they are an established Premier League club, FA Cup winners, Community Shield holders, and European finalists. Fans truly are Glad All Over!
Now, one final challenge awaits. In Leipzig, Palace will face Rayo Vallecano. Ninety minutes from immortality.
For Crystal Palace, history is unfolding right before their eyes.