November 6 2025

Palace 3-1 AZ Alkmaar

Crystal Palace delivered a thrilling European night at Selhurst Park, beating AZ Alkmaar 3-1 in the UEFA Conference League.

The Eagles set the tempo from the start, though Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early missed penalty briefly threatened to stall their momentum.

That changed on 22 minutes when Maxence Lacroix hammered in a loose ball from the edge of the box; a long VAR check left the stadium holding its breath, but the goal ultimately stood and ignited the home crowd.

Ismaila Sarr, who had tormented the Dutch side all evening, deservedly added a second in first-half stoppage time, reacting quickest at the back post after AZ failed to clear their lines.

Although Sven Mijnans pulled one back on 54 minutes with a low strike that caught Dean Henderson flat-footed, Palace responded three minutes later as Sarr burst through the defence to tuck away his second of the night.

By full-time, the home fans were bouncing as the Eagles celebrated their first-ever home victory in a major European competition – an emphatic, confident performance that lifted them to ninth in the group stage standings.

Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz (Clyne 85), Hughes (Kamada 65), Lerma, Mitchell, Sarr (Wharton 65), Pino (Devenny 73), Mateta (Uche 85).

Not used: Benítez, Matthews, Canvot, Sosa, Esse.

AZ Alkmaar: Owusu-Oduro, Dijkstra (De Wit 62), Goes, Pentra, Chavez, Koopmeiners (Dekke 80), Mijnans, Smit (Boogaard 80), Patati (Jensen 61), Parrott (Zeefuik 74), Sadiq.

Not used: Verhulst, Zoet, Natali, Van Duijl, Van Duijn.