Crystal Palace advanced to the last 16 of the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, defeating Zrinjski Mostar 2-0 at Selhurst Park for a 3-1 aggregate victory. Goals from Maxence Lacroix in the 36th minute and Evann Guessand in the 93rd minute secured the win for Oliver Glasner’s side, easing mounting pressure on the Palace manager.
The match, attended by 18,049 fans, marks a positive turn for Crystal Palace, who have now secured back-to-back wins for the first time since December. This success comes after a period of speculation surrounding Glasner’s future at the club.
Palace will learn their next opponent on Friday, with a draw pitting them against either Mainz of the German Bundesliga or Cypriot side Larnaca. Larnaca previously defeated Palace 1-0 in October, but Palace will be favoured against either opponent.
Former Palace defender James Tomkins, speaking on TNT Sports, highlighted the significance of the win. “They go through to the next stage, into the last 16 of this competition and they are favourites to go on and win it from here,” Tomkins said. “They’ve got to concentrate on the Conference League. The opportunity they’ve got is incredible. To add a third trophy in two seasons would be remarkable and beyond the wildest dreams of the fans.”
The Conference League, in its fifth season, has already seen English success with West Ham United winning the inaugural competition in 2023 and Chelsea claiming the title in 2025. Crystal Palace were the bookmakers’ favourites to win the competition from the start of this season, despite finishing 10th in the league phase and requiring two matches against Zrinjski to reach the last 16.
Goalkeeper Henderson, now captain following the departure of Marc Guéhi, expressed the team’s ambition. “We’re hungry for more [silverware] but you don’t talk about winning it three months out,” Henderson said. “It’s knockout football and we go into it with confidence. You see the supporters get into the stadium early and Selhurst was rocking tonight and we can make it a fortress.”
