It is a peculiarity particular to Crystal Palace that a season of such upheaval and unrest could still end up with Oliver Glasner’s side winning another trophy. Having left the pitch after last week’s first leg with supporters calling for the Austrian manager to be sacked in the morning, Maxence Lacroix’s first-half header made it a much more harmonious evening for Glasner and his side.
They spurned a number of opportunities to wrap up the victory over Zrinjski Mostar before Evann Guessand eventually did late on after being fortunate to escape from last week’s trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 1-1 draw.
But having been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after winning the FA Cup last season, Palace’s first European campaign will continue against either Cypriot side Larnaca – who they lost to during the group stages – or Mainz from Germany.
Palace rejected a request from the supporters group responsible for the banner directed against Glasner in their last match against Wolves to turn off the music so they could “back the team during the pre-match warm-up” on the grounds that Uefa’s regulations wouldn’t allow it.
But the presence of a large group of travelling supporters who took up position two hours before kick-off helped to create a decent atmosphere despite a large number of empty seats in the home sections. “40 quid? Palace fans fleeced = empty seats,” read the latest banner that was displayed by the Holmesdale Fanatics during the first half.
