Strasbourg came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Stade de la Mainau, as the Eagles’ hopes of finishing in the top eight of the UEFA Conference League were dashed.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the opening goal. The hulking French striker initially controlled a long ball well, then kept his marker at bay on the edge of the box and played a cheeky through ball to Tyrick Mitchell.
The left-back still had a lot to do from a tight angle, but his low drive found the far corner and the visitors came close to doubling their lead just seconds later when Strasbourg’s on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders was given a walkabout.
Ismaila Sarr was only able to fire a shot inside the post from 30 yards and Palace were made to pay for their open goal mistake. Strasbourg hit back with a fine goal eight minutes into the second half, with Emmanuel Emega, who will join Chelsea next season, scoring at the back post.
The Eagles then had two great chances to take the lead again as first substitute Adam Wharton hit the bar after some confusion at the back of the home side, leaving the goal empty, but Penders denied Yeremy Pino.
Oliver Glasner’s side were made to pay the price when ex-Brighton forward Julio Enciso’s superb free-kick hit the crossbar to give Strasbourg the lead for the first time in the 13th minute, with 19-year-old Moroccan Samir El Mourabeh reacting quickest to slot home the rebound.
As a result, Palace fell to 18th place in the Conference League standings, ending their recent five-game unbeaten run.
Glasner: “We missed so many chances, so we deserved to lose.”
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner told TNT Sports:
“When you have two empty goals in front of you and you hit the post and missed the goal twice, it’s pretty easy[to explain why you lost].
“You could be leading 3-1 and then you have a big chance with the keeper.To be honest, there have been too many times this season when we could have decided the game and we didn’t.
“And of course, even after the free-kick we weren’t sharp enough and I think we missed one or two percent in the end. That’s why we lost to a good Strasbourg team.”
“Yes, I understand. We can concede the tying goal, but the next goal is empty. Then in the next big chance, we miss the chance with the keeper and lose the game. So I think it’s natural that we lose today as well.”
“We need more players to score goals, that’s what we know. But on the other hand, no one does it intentionally, but it’s just happening too often at the moment.”
“We can’t rely on keeping clean sheets all the time because our opponents are always doing well. Scoring the third goal will give us a bit more time to relax in the game.”
