Crystal Palace 3-1 AZ Alkmaar: Report, result and goals as Sarr seals first home Conference League win
Crystal Palace ended their wait for a home win in European competition.
Crystal Palace claimed their first home win in the Conference League proper in style as Ismaila Sarr scored twice in a 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar.
Palace had slipped to a stunning 1-0 loss to Cypriot side Larnaca in their previous game at Selhurst Park, but were excellent this time around against the Eredivisie side.
The Eagles dominated the first and, after Jean-Philippe Mateta had a penalty saved, they deservedly took the lead when Maxence Lacroix fired in on the half-volley in the 22nd minute.
Sarr, who won the earlier penalty, doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time, and the Senegal international re-established Palace’s two-goal advantage with his second in the 57th minute, three minutes after Sven Mijnans had pulled one back for AZ.
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Crystal Palace end wait for maiden home win
Sarr began the Palace onslaught when he struck the post in the 12th minute and, two minutes later the referee pointed to the spot after he went down under the challenge of AZ goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.
The offside flag initially looked to have negated that decision, but a VAR check revealed the assistant to have raised it incorrectly.
Yet the usual clinical Mateta saw a poor penalty easily kept out by Owusu-Oduro, whose goal continued to be peppered.
Owusu-Oduro clawed away a Sarr header with an outstanding reaction save, before Will Hughes struck the cross with a dipping angled volley.
AZ could not hold out, though, and a long throw proved their undoing, Lacroix taking advantage of their failure to clear by lashing into the bottom-left corner after the ball was worked back into the box.
Again the offside flag was raised only for VAR to overturn the decision, and Palace were forced to wait through another lengthy check after Sarr prodded home from point-blank range, his goal confirmed four minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Sarr profited from defensive frailties, a right-wing delivery eventually falling into his path after AZ were unable to properly clear a free-kick, yet the team sitting third in the Eredivisie responded well in the early stages in the second half and were rewarded when a neat attack ended with Mijnans’ deflected effort deceiving Dean Henderson.
The struggles at the back continued, however, and Sarr made no mistake in punishing them again as he raced on to a Mateta throughball and fired confidently into the bottom-right corner.
Mateta went through on goal himself soon after, but his finish was uncharacteristically poor as he dragged wide of the far post. The Frenchman’s frustration was obvious, but his profligacy was ultimately immaterial in a third straight win in all competitions for Palace.
Where Crystal Palace stand in the Conference League
Palace’s win leaves them in ninth with two wins from three to start their Conference League campaign.
They are well-placed to progress to the knockout rounds, with only goal difference keeping them out of the top eight. The Larnaca result firmly behind them, Palace will be confident of a top-eight finish and progression straight through to the last 16.
The result ends AZ’s five-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Sitting 27th with three points from as many games, they have work to do to keep their campaign alive.
Samsunspor, Celje and Mainz are the three teams with 100 percent records in the competition.
Palace’s next Conference League game is a difficult one, as they visit Strasbourg on November 27.