Second leg: Fredrikstad 0-0 Crystal Palace (Agg 0-1)
Palace into Friday’s draw but could now lose Guéhi
Crystal Palace’s European adventure goes on after successfully navigating past Norwegian opponents who were determined to make things hard for the FA Cup winners on a tricky plastic pitch. After being denied entry into the Europa League by Uefa, a gritty defensive performance that equalled a club record of 13 matches unbeaten in all competitions while playing in the top-flight ensured that they will take their place in Friday’s draw for the Conference League.
More than 1,700 made the journey from south London to Fredrikstad on an occasion many Palace supporters had never thought would become a reality. There were times when they would have feared that the club’s first away match in a major European competition may also end in disappointment as Andreas Hagen’s side piled on the pressure after their narrow defeat in the first leg.
But it was Oliver Glasner, who said that he is expecting more clarity on captain Marc Guéhi’s future after he put in another outstanding performance on what could be his final appearance for the club, who was able to mark his 51st birthday by giving the Palace fans at least another three trips to look forward to. “It’s a huge achievement to get to the group stage,” said Glasner. “With all the noise of being demoted to the Conference League and against opposition who were not easy to play – there were so many long balls but the players did really well. It’s big for Crystal Palace.”
