Rayo loses in the final
©IMAGO
Crystal Palace with coach Oliver Glasner is the Conference League winner. The Londoners narrowly beat Spanish representatives Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final in Leipzig on Wednesday. Former Bundesliga professional Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the golden goal in the 51st minute for the Eagles’ first international title, who won the FA Cup and Super Cup in 2025 under Glasner. The Austrian himself had once triumphed in the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt. Palace will compete there as Conference League winners next season.
Glasner won a European Cup for the second time in four years and led Crystal Palace to the greatest success in its history. In front of 39,176 fans, former Mainz player Mateta gave the outgoing Glasner the perfect finish in London.
To prepare for the game, Glasner, who had already won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville in 2022, asked his professionals to play some relaxed football tennis during the day. His calculation: The players should go into the biggest game in the club’s history as relaxed and with a clear head.
Riots the evening before
At first, however, the attention was not on the historical significance of the game for both teams, but on the fans, some of whom were prepared to use violence. The evening before the final, supporters of both teams met in downtown Leipzig. Beer glasses, bottles and any tangible bar seating flew. Police said 320 fans were being investigated for breach of the peace. The measure lasted until shortly after three in the morning.
On the day of the game itself, things remained quiet. The supporters of both teams created a tremendous atmosphere in the stadium and produced a volume that had perhaps never been achieved before at games played by the local club RB Leipzig. In addition, choreographies worth seeing were rolled out.
Great chance by Mitchell
The game couldn’t keep up with that for a long time. Duels were fought with a high degree of aggression, and both teams were extremely willing to run. That was to the detriment of the game. Neither Palace nor Rayo managed a shot on goal in the first half. However, there were three upsets. After 21 minutes, Yéremy Pino was on his way to the Rayo goal, but was fouled by Pathé Ciss. Referee Maurizio Mariani showed the yellow card, although an emergency brake could also have been argued.
After around 35 minutes, the game was interrupted for around three minutes. A Vallecano fan apparently fell down a flight of stairs and needed medical attention. Palace had their big chance in stoppage time in the first half. Adam Wharton crossed from the back into the penalty area, but Tyrick Mitchell (45.+1), who was completely free to finish, headed the ball next to the goal.
Mateta is correct
After the restart, Wharton had another idea. Instead of crossing, the national player shot from around 20 meters. Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla deflected the ball forward – directly onto Mateta’s foot. The goal gave Palace a boost – and great opportunities. A free kick from Pino (55th) landed at the left post and from there jumped to the right. Two minutes later, Mateta was in the right position again, but this time Batalla steered the ball around the post.
