What a difference a season makes. Crystal Palace, a club that initially fought tooth and nail to avoid the Conference League, now finds itself just 90 minutes away from lifting the trophy—and delivering a "perfect" farewell for manager Oliver Glasner.
In one of the most electric nights Selhurst Park has ever seen, the Eagles soared past Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1, sealing a 5-2 aggregate victory in the semi-finals. The atmosphere was nothing short of rapturous, a fitting backdrop for a club rewriting its own history books.
This remarkable European odyssey seemed improbable from the start. After winning the FA Cup and Community Shield at Wembley in 2025, Palace was forcibly demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League—a decision they unsuccessfully challenged in a Swiss courtroom. What felt like a setback has since become a scenic, unforgettable journey across the continent: Norway, Poland, France, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Italy, and back to Poland. Now, there's just one final destination left: Leipzig, Germany.
On Wednesday, 27 May, Palace will face Spanish side Rayo Vallecano—who dispatched Gary O'Neil's Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate—with the trophy on the line. A win would cap an unprecedented run of success for the club and hand Glasner a third piece of silverware in a whirlwind tenure that began in February 2024.
Even the typically composed Austrian manager seemed stunned by the journey. "I spoke to the chairman before the match," Glasner revealed. "He always comes into my office. I said, 'Do you ever think we would be playing in the semi-final of a European competition?' He said, 'No.' When we talked for the first time three years ago, I didn't think about it either. This is what you achieve if you work hard and stick together in tough moments—and we have had a few. When you stick together in difficult moments, you get the reward."
Glasner, who will depart this summer, has clearly left an indelible mark. "I really enjoy the European nights at Selhurst," he added. "We had to grow into the competition, and the fans had to grow. If you look when we started against Larnaca, the level of excitement increased and increased."
On Thursday, that excitement reached fever pitch. While the Shakhtar fans bounced in one corner, the home faithful roared their team to within touching distance of glory. For a club that once didn't even want to be in this competition, the stage is now set for a storybook ending—and the perfect jersey to commemorate it all.