Christantus Uche Fuels Straightforward Palace Victory at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Despite entering their first-ever continental campaign, Oliver Glasner's side are learning at a rapid pace. Missing star players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a commanding result that virtually secures them a place in the Conference League playoffs.
A further three points in their upcoming fixture against Finnish KuPS should be sufficient to seal straight entry to the last 16, particularly following a previous setback against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Opportunity
This occasion offered a chance for some of Palace's fringe talent to impress. Christantus Uche, in only his second beginning since joining on loan from Getafe, opened the scoring with a well-taken goal. Striker Eddie Nketiah contributed a second, finding the net for the second consecutive succession.
The Shelbourne team that had concluded their domestic season proved no match even for a mostly rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were already weakened by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are out with knee problems.
Dominance Established from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A flowing passing sequence in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's incisive pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a simple tap-in.
Youngster Adam Wharton went close soon after, fizzing a long-range shot over the bar. Nketiah then appealed for a penalty after bursting into the box, but the referee dismissed the protests.
The formerArsenal man didn't need to wait long to get his goal, prodding home from a yard out after Uche's shot had struck the post.
Shelbourne were hanging on desperately. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to escape a booking for two robust tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a header from a corner.
Pino Seals the Game
The contest was effectively over eight minutes from half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past a series of comically weak challenges before calmly slotting a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to make it 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to rest key players like Kamada and Wharton. Replacement Romain Esse almost scoring his first touch, but saw his shot blocked.
The youngster was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche also blazed a sitter of a chance, indicating there is still scope for improvement in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a late knock to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This paved the way for 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to earn his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise perfect night for the traveling side.
