A grueling home draw for Crystal Palace, Ismaila Sarr's header makes a thrilling threat to the opponent's gate but no substantial goal scored.
2025/2026 UEFA Europa Conference League
0-0
Match Report:
Evann Guessand, Tyrick Mitchell and Chris Richards squandered fine chances as an otherwise laboured Crystal Palace performance saw them booed off after a 0-0 last-16 first-leg draw with Larnaca at Selhurst Park.
Strong winds and driving rain did little to help the Eagles' cause but neither did Oliver Glasner's side. Brennan Johnson's deployment in an experimental hybrid wing-back role backfired in the absence of Daniel Munoz - while Jean-Philippe Mateta was also jeered from sections of the crowd on his first appearance since a failed Deadline Day move to Milan.
It all could have been different had Guessand turned home Jorgen Strand Larsen's eighth-minute cross but once he fired straight at Zlatan Alomerovic, it took Palace another 34 minutes to fashion a second chance of note.
Daichi Kamada's scuffed shot caught out the visiting defence and found the late run of Mitchell, whose first-time finish needed to be higher and was saved by Alomerovic's outstretched leg.
Palace upped their game briefly at the start of the second period and fashioned a number of half-chances, before Richards headed Johnson's corner over from barely six yards.
Larnaca almost gave new head coach Javi Rozada a dream debut in the dugout in the dying moments, when an Enzo Cabrera header was deflected just wide by Richards.
Match Events
1' Match Event for Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
7' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
15' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
30' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
53' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
56' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
74' Highlight from Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
Line-ups
Crystal Palace XI: Dean Henderson, Kamada, Sarr, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Maxence Lacroix, Chris Richards, Evann Guessand, Brennan Johnson, Tyrick Mitchell, Adam Wharton, Jaydee Canvot
Subs: Clyne, Walter Benítez, Hughes, Lerma, Borna Sosa, Remi Matthews, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Yeremy, Chadi Riad, Justin Devenny, Kaden Rodney, Rio Cardines
AEK Larnaca XI: Zlatan Alomerovic, Gus Ledes, Hrvoje Milicevic, Saborit, Miramon, M.Rohden, Godswill Ekpolo, Ángel García, Pons, Bajic, Ivanovic
Subs: Charalampos Kyriakou, Andreas Paraskevas, Robert Mudrazija, Yahav Gurfinkel, Dimitris Dimitriou, Enzo Cabrera, Petros Ioannou, Mathias Gonzalez, Christos Loukaidis, Christodoulos Thoma, David Gerasimou