Mateta header ends Palace's frustrations

It might not be the Europa League. But even the absence of Eberechi Eze as he closes in on his £67.5m move to Arsenal could not spoil Crystal Palace's first taste of European football as they sealed a narrow victory in the first leg of their Conference League playoff.

- Ed Aarons

After a summer of uncertainty over which competition they would play in, the last thing that Oliver Glasner would have wanted was to receive a call from Eze on the morning of the game informing the Palace manager that he was not feeling well enough to play. Yet having struggled to break down well-drilled Norwegian side Fredrikstad in the first half in the absence of their talismanic England forward, Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal calmed Palace's nerves but they could not find a second that could have proved crucial as they attempt to secure their place in the group stages of Uefa's third-tier competition.

Glasner, who led Eintracht Frankfurt to victory in the Europa League in 2022, will know that this tie is far from over given that they must play the second leg next week on an artificial surface. Nothing is ever certain when it comes to Palace.

Glasner had revealed his disappointment beforehand that Eze would not feature, admitting that it had disrupted his side's preparations. "It is not what you want to do, to change the starting XI on matchday, especially in this situation - the first time in European football for Crystal Palace," he said before kick-off.