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 and Evann Guessand made it a much more harmonious evening for Glasner and his side.
After being fortunate to escape from last week’s trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 1-1 draw, it could have been very different if Zrinjski Mostar had equalised just before Guessand settled the tie late on. 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 the Cypriot side Larnaca – who they lost to during the group stages – or Mainz from Germany in the last 16.
“There is so much noise, so sometimes we really don’t understand it, but maybe I gave some interviews that were not really helpful, I have to admit,” said Glasner in reference to his comments after the first leg when he told fans to “stay humble”.
“I just had to express it otherwise I would have exploded. I can’t do it differently. If I feel something, I have to say it. Then I have to face the shitstorm. Everyone hopefully knows everything I say and do is for the best of Crystal Palace.”
