Another title to say goodbye: Former Bundesliga coach Oliver Glasner gilded his era at Crystal Palace and led the Eagles to the first European Cup triumph in the club’s history.
The Londoners clinched the title in the Conference League on Wednesday evening after a rapid spurt with a 1-0 (0-0) in the final against Rayo Vallecano. Former Mainz player Jean-Philippe Mateta (51st) caused ecstasy among the traveling fans of the Premier League club in Leipzig with his goal.
And so Glasner actually got his “perfect ending”, in his last game as Palace team manager, the Austrian won his third title in four years – and the first international for the south London club. After his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Glasner took over the club in 2024 and won both the FA Cup and the Supercup in England a year later. Within twelve months, the 51-year-old finally made himself immortal with the Eagles. It remains to be seen where the successful coach will go next.
Moment of shock before the break
Glasner, who won the Europa League with Frankfurt in 2022, let his team put pressure on them from the start, the favorites repeatedly tried to get top striker Ismaila Sarr into position. But the really big chances didn’t materialize for the time being; Rayo fought back with a lot of commitment and passion.
Video: 1:0! Mateta takes the lead
Shortly before the break there was a shocking moment for Vallecano: a fan who had traveled with him had to receive medical care, and goalkeeper Augusto Batalla in particular was visibly upset. Tyrick Mitchell also missed a huge chance for Palace (45th+1).
Video: Huge opportunity! Crystal Palace misses the lead
After the break, the Londoners were immediately wide awake. First Mateta dusted off ice-cold, shortly afterwards Yeremy Pino could have made almost everything clear with a free kick (56th) and Mateta again (57th). But things remained exciting and Rayo gave it their all once again. But in the end Glasner got his happy ending.
