Fiorentina 2-1 Crystal Palace (2-4 aggregate): Glasner praises Eagles’ resilience
Place will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the last four.
Oliver Glasner praised Crystal Palace’s resilience after they secured their place in the Conference League semi-finals despite losing 2-1 to Fiorentina in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
Palace headed to Florence with a 3-0 lead in the first leg and the game was over after Ismaila Sarr’s late header made it 4-0 on aggregate in the 17th minute.
But Albert Gudmundsson equalized from the penalty spot after a challenge on Jaydee Canvot, with Adam Wharton’s injury withdrawal giving Palace further problems.
Defender Maxence Lacroix then came off the pitch six minutes later, and Fiorentina hoped to turn things around when Cher Ndour fired into the left-hand corner from distance eight minutes into the second half.
But Palace defended well to protect their advantage in the tournament, starting a semi-final clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.
“The quarter-final is never easy and it made it a little bit harder than it would have been by starting the game well, taking the lead,” Glasner told TNT Sports.
“Fiorentina regained their belief [after the penalty] and then, yes, it was a very difficult game to manage, to be honest, and for the players. making two subs in the first half limited the options we had to react with.
“That’s why we took JP [Mateta] It’s a break, because we knew he wouldn’t be able to play maybe 90 minutes. And, yes, in the second half, it was a big strike. Suddenly we were beaten 2-1, it was too early in the second half. And the reaction was good too, I think.
“We didn’t really play attacking football, but we defended very well, and the team showed a lot of resilience today. And in the knockout stages, sometimes they don’t always play the best football. It’s unique, different skills. And today it was about being strong and working hard, sticking together, and the team did it. So I think after that we didn’t give them a big chance to play two semi-final games. That’s why we had to play two final games.”
Crystal Palace overcame injuries in the first half
Asked about the injury, Glasner expressed hope for Wharton.
“Adam is his producer. It doesn’t look that serious but we have to evaluate him more,” added Glasner.
“Max, he touched the foot to the foot and then he felt the knee, I think it’s the medial ligament.
“I think Chad Riyad, Chris Richards and Jaydee Canvot are doing very well with Jeff Lerma and Will. [Hughes] in the middle of the field. So, yes, we have enough options. That’s good. But today we celebrate going to the semi-finals. It is really a great achievement for the players. It’s a great achievement for Crystal Palace, and we’re enjoying it tonight. “
Asked about Shakhtar’s opponents before Palace kicked off with a 5-2 win over AZ Alkmaar, Glasner replied: “I didn’t watch them, but I saw their line-up, I think today they started with six Brazilian players.
“I played with them once. A few years ago with Wolfsburg, right before the COVID in the first leg and the second leg, I think six months later, we lost. At that time, they had a lot of Brazilian players, so I expect them to be more technical.
“We have experience with Dynamo Kiev, Shakhtar is number one in Ukraine. But now we will start preparing, looking at the games they played. So we will be well prepared.
“However, in between, we play West Ham and Liverpool, and we want to do well in the Premier League.”
