May 7 2026

Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Crystal Palace booked their place in a first ever European final after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at a thunderous Selhurst Park.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg in Poland, Oliver Glasber's team completed a 5-2 aggregate victory in the Conference League semi-finals.

Palace thought they had struck early when Yeremy Pino raced clear and finished coolly, only for the goal to be ruled out by a desperately tight offside call.

The breakthrough came on 25 minutes when Adam Wharton’s fierce long-range effort was parried by Dmytro Riznyk, and Daniel Munoz’s low ball across goal was turned into his own net by Pedro Henrique.

Shakhtar responded nine minutes later through Eguinaldo, who curled a superb finish into the top corner after being found by Pedro Henrique.

Meanwhile Jean-Philippe Mateta almost restored Palace’s cushion before the break with a spectacular scissor-kick that struck the post.

But Palace would not be denied. In the 52nd minute, Tyrick Mitchell’s low cross from the left was met by Ismaila Sarr, who slid in to score his ninth goal of the competition and move outright top of the scoring charts.

The final whistle confirmed a landmark night in the club’s history. Palace will now face Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig on Wednesday, 27 May, after the Spanish side saw off Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate.