MAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT!

Striker steps up to give Eagles first-leg lead and something to smile about after Eze exit

- BY MIKE WALTERS X@MikeWaltersMGM

AS a beauty pageant, it was nearer cat litter than catwalk.

But as Jean-Philippe Mateta banked Crystal Palace's first goal in Europe, a grim contest proved the old adage that there are no easy games in Europe.

Sadly for Palace, after Eberechi Eze rang in sick and missed his chance to wave goodbye ahead of his £67.5mil-lion move to Arsenal, there will be no Eze games, either.

Mateta's scruffy winner was in keeping with the untidy nature of a frantic tie, but Palace should have more than enough firepower -even without their playmaker Eze - to hold the fort in next week's second leg in Norway.

After missing out on the Europe League in a tedious soap opera of missed deadlines, multi-club ownership, and legal intrigue, Palace found themselves in the Thursday Night Herdy-Gerdy League playoff scramble.

At first glance, it's a competition in which they should really fancy their chances of another trophy.