Crystal Palace Beat Dynamo Kyiv: Premier League Side Starts Conference League with Win

Crystal Palace has officially commenced its European campaign with a commanding 2-0 victory over Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv in their UEFA Conference League opener. The match, played in Lublin, Poland Dynamo’s temporary European home due to the ongoing war in Ukraine saw the English club secure an impressive win, simultaneously extending its club-record unbeaten streak to 19 matches.

The Eagles, who qualified for continental competition by winning the FA Cup last season, were controversially demoted from the Europa League. This demotion was the result of a breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, which pertain to the stake held by American businessman John Textor in both Crystal Palace and French club Olympique Lyonnais. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ultimately upheld UEFA’s ruling, moving Palace to the third-tier competition.

Dependable NG reports that the breakthrough came in the first half courtesy of Colombian wing-back Daniel Munoz. He met a precision cross from the excellent summer signing, Yeremy Pino, with a brilliant towering header in the 31st minute, marking the club’s first-ever away goal in major European competition.

The lead was doubled just before the hour mark when substitute Eddie Nketiah stabbed home another superb delivery from the left flank by Yeremy Pino. Pino, signed from Villarreal to replace Eberechi Eze, has quickly proven his value, with the assist being the highlight of a highly impressive European debut.

The latter stages of the match introduced a nervous element for Palace supporters when defender Borna Sosa was sent off, picking up two quick yellow cards that left the team with 10 men for the final 15 minutes. However, the sending-off had little material impact on the result, as the team expertly managed the game to secure all three points.

Crystal Palace now ranks among the favourites to lift the Conference League trophy. Their next fixture in the league phase will be a home game against AEK Larnaca of Cyprus on October 23. The London club’s remaining opponents in the league phase include Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, French club Strasbourg, Irish outfit Shelbourne, and Finland’s KuPS.