Uche Fuels Comfortable Palace Triumph at Irish Side Shelbourne.
Even though embarking on their maiden continental campaign, Oliver Glasner's side are adapting at a rapid pace. Without key figures like forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender Daniel Muñoz, the London club left Dublin with a comfortable result that virtually guarantees them a spot in the Conference League playoffs.
Another three points in their upcoming fixture against Finland's KuPS ought to be sufficient to seal direct passage to the last 16, especially after a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Grasp the Moment
This occasion provided a platform for several Palace's lesser-used talent to impress. Christantus Uche, in only his second start since joining on loan from Getafe, notched the account with a well-taken finish. Forward Eddie Nketiah added a another, scoring for the second game in succession.
The Shelbourne team that had concluded their domestic season were no match even for a largely rotated Palace lineup. The Londoners were already depleted by the reports that Mateta and Muñoz are sidelined with knee injuries.
Control Established from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly established dominance. A flowing passing sequence in the 11th minute, initiated by Daichi Kamada's clever pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a simple finish.
Midfielder Adam Wharton went close soon after, fizzing a powerful effort over the bar. Nketiah then appealed for a penalty after bursting into the box, but the referee waved away the protests.
Ex-Arsenal striker did not have wait long to find his goal, tapping home from a yard out after Uche's shot had hit the post.
Shelbourne were clinging on for dear life. Full-back Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to escape a booking for two agricultural challenges on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a powerful header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Seals the Contest
The contest was effectively over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino weaved past some weak challenges before calmly dispatching a shot past keeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
After the break, manager Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw key players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse almost scoring his very first touch, but saw his effort blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one attempt crash off each posts before being clasped on the line. Uche also missed a sitter of a chance, indicating there is still room for improvement in his game.
The only worry for Palace was a second-half knock to Justin Devenny, who limped off. This allowed 17-year-old forward Benji Casey to earn his first-team debut, rounding off an otherwise positive evening for the traveling side.
