Glasner: We’ll have to perform even better at home to get over the line
Oliver Glasner has challenged his Crystal Palace players to improve on the performance they showed in their 3-1 semi-final first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Krakow.
The Eagles flew out of the traps in their first-ever encounter in the final four of a European competition, Ismaïla Sarr slotting them into the lead after just 21 seconds from Jean-Philippe Mateta’s through ball – the quickest goal in Conference League history.
But Shakhtar, threatening throughout, made a bright start to the second-half themselves, equalising from a corner – only for Palace to rise to the challenge and secure a healthy advantage heading into the second leg through Daichi Kamada and Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Glasner said after the game: “I'm very happy and very pleased with the performance. We could see how good Shakhtar are individually, with so many quick players, and it was the plan: we don’t want to give them space, because when we get exposed it's so difficult to defend against them.
“Credit to the players, they stuck to the plan, worked very hard, every single one in defence, so we didn't give them a lot. Shakhtar were a big threat with their set-plays, that's also where we conceded, but I think we were the same when we played forward.
“When we were on the attack we were always very threatening, and I was really impressed with the reaction the team showed after we conceded the equaliser from a set-play, because all of a sudden we had two or three big chances, we missed them, and then it was a long throw-in, we took the lead again and then waited for our situations.
“It was a huge impact from the bench, so overall we are very pleased with the performance, but it's just the first step. We will analyse this game, because I believe we have to perform even better at home to go to Leipzig to the final.”
The Manager added of his team’s resilience in bouncing back from conceding the equaliser: “It’s just an amazing group of people, of men, of characters, with such a great spirit, such a great togetherness, and we always believe in ourselves.
“There’s no button we can press and switch it on, I think this is what we created over months and maybe years: that we know we can always come back and that we are always able to score a goal, doing our job, doing our foundation for the team, and it always starts with the attackers.
“I think that's why we have this belief, and this helped us today again, but against a very good Shakhtar Donetsk side.”
All these details will be important to get it over the line
—Oliver Glasner
Palace now take a two-goal lead back to South London for the second leg at Selhurst Park.
But Glasner noted – with Shakhtar impressive in the first leg – that the job is only half done, adding: “It’s a nice half-time lead, but not more. Not less, but not more.
“Again, we need the same focus, because we could see they're playing in behind, they can dribble, they can pass, always one-twos, very, very skilful, very, very quick, and this is what we have to control maybe a little bit better.
“But on the other side we need always these runs, because this is where they are maybe struggling, with our physicality. We have to turn the set-plays around.
“Today we could equalise after conceding, we scored a goal from a set-play as well, so all these details will be important to get it over the line.”