Crystal Palace Suffers Defeat to Strasbourg in Europa Conference League
Crystal Palace experienced their first defeat since late October, succumbing to French side Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League.
Tyrick Mitchell opened the scoring for Palace in the 35th minute with a precise finish after being set up by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The Premier League team, who had been on a five-match unbeaten streak, missed a golden opportunity to extend their lead just before halftime when Ismaila Sarr struck the post from 30 yards out with an open goal in sight, following a mistake by Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders.
Strasbourg equalized eight minutes into the second half when captain Emanuel Emegha, set to join Chelsea next summer, converted Diego Moreira's low cross.
Penders, on loan from Chelsea, again misplaced the ball midway through the second half, but Adam Wharton could only manage to hit the crossbar from distance.
However, Penders redeemed himself shortly after, making a stunning diving save to deny Yeremy Pino from close range.
Palace ultimately paid the price for their missed opportunities when Julio Enciso's free-kick in the 77th minute struck the crossbar, allowing Samir el Mourabet to score on the rebound.
Despite Strasbourg's victory, Palace players will be frustrated, having failed to capitalize on two open goal chances, amassing 16 shots and 40 touches in the opponent's box.
The match echoed Palace's earlier Conference League loss to AEK Larnaca in October. This latest result leaves Oliver Glasner's team with two wins and two defeats in their Conference League group stage matches, despite dominating in both losses.
With only six games played in the league phase, Palace now faces a challenging path to secure a top-eight finish, which would guarantee advancement to the last 16. Following this defeat, their first since falling to Arsenal in the Premier League on October 26, they currently sit in 18th place in the league phase standings. Teams ranked outside the top 24 after six games will be eliminated from the competition.
Looking ahead, Crystal Palace will host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday at 12:00 GMT. Their remaining matches in the Europa Conference League group stage include an away game against League of Ireland Premier Division side Shelbourne on December 11 and a home fixture against Finnish team KPS Kuopio on December 18.
Strasbourg will play at home against Brest in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with their next European match scheduled as an away trip to Aberdeen on December 11.