Crystal Palace Conference League win Fiorentina sees Jean-Philippe Mateta inspire a 3-0 first-leg quarter-final victory over Fiorentina

English Premier League side Crystal Palace secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Italian outfit Fiorentina in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final on Thursday night at Selhurst Park.

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Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta delivered a decisive performance, scoring from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Evann Guessand was brought down inside the box by Fiorentina defender Dodo.

Crystal Palace continued just minutes later as Mateta played a key role in the second goal, with Tyrick Mitchell finishing off a rebound after the French forward’s close-range effort was initially saved by goalkeeper David de Gea.

Palace maintained control for large parts of the contest, although Fiorentina responded after the break, striking the woodwork through Giovanni Fabbian and forcing crucial saves from goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Despite the Italian side’s pressure, Palace sealed a strong advantage late on when Ismaïla Sarr headed home in the 90th minute to complete a dominant home performance.

Mateta described the victory as the result of hard work but cautioned against complacency ahead of the return leg in Italy.

Elsewhere in the competition, Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk recorded a 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, while Spanish club Rayo Vallecano moved closer to a historic semi-final with a convincing 3-0 victory over AEK Athens.

German side Mainz also maintained their strong home record with a 2-0 win over Strasbourg, keeping their unbeaten run intact in the competition.

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Palace will now travel to Tuscany for the second leg, where they aim to secure progression to the semi-finals of the European competition.