What a time it is to be a Crystal Palace supporter. Twelve months ago, the south London club was still waiting to win their first major trophy and even the most optimistic fan could never have imagined that they would be contesting the semi-final of a European competition.
But despite a few anxious moments when a battling Fiorentina side cut the deficit from last week’s 3-0 defeat in first leg at Selhurst Park to just two goals with half an hour still to play, Oliver Glasner’s side showed their growing maturity at this level to progress to a last four showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk.
While Palace made things far more uncomfortable for themselves after Ismaïla Sarr’s early strike, even the loss of Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix to injuries before half-time could not knock them off their stride against opponents who have twice been beaten finalists in this competition and gave it their best shot.
Yet after winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, Glasner will relish the opportunity to sign off at Palace with another trophy having managed to transform his side’s fortunes in the space of a few weeks.
The Palace fans made the most of the Florentine spring sunshine in the buildup to kick-off, with a large number having travelled without tickets just to experience their first taste of an away European quarter-final.
