Christantus Uche Fuels Straightforward Palace Win at Shelbourne.
Despite entering their maiden continental adventure, Oliver Glasner's side are learning at a rapid pace. Missing key players like striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and defender Daniel Muñoz, the Eagles left Dublin with a comfortable win that virtually secures them a spot in the Conference League qualifying rounds.
A further victory in their upcoming match against Finland's KuPS should be enough to seal direct passage to the last 16, particularly following a previous stumble against Strasbourg.
Fringe Players Seize the Moment
This match provided a chance for some of Palace's lesser-used talent to shine. Christantus Uche, making only his second beginning after arriving on loan from Getafe, notched the account with a clinical finish. Forward Eddie Nketiah added a another, finding the net for the second game in succession.
The Shelbourne team that had finished their league season proved no match even for a largely rotated Palace outfit. The visitors were further weakened by the news that Mateta and Muñoz are out with leg problems.
Control Asserted from the Start
In spite of torrential rain in Dublin, Palace quickly took control. A slick passing sequence in the 11th minute, sparked by Daichi Kamada's incisive pass, allowed Nketiah to set up Uche for a straightforward finish.
Youngster Adam Wharton came close soon after, fizzing a powerful shot over the bar. Nketiah then claimed for a penalty after bursting into the box, but the referee waved away the protests.
Ex-Arsenal man didn't need to wait long to find his goal, tapping home from close range after Uche's shot had struck the post.
Shelbourne were clinging on for dear life. Defender Kameron Ledwidge was lucky to avoid a booking for a couple of agricultural tackles on Yeremy Pino, before Chris Richards rattled the woodwork with a header from a corner.
Yeremy Pino Wraps Up the Contest
The match was effectively over eight minutes before half-time. Yeremy Pino meandered past some weak challenges before calmly dispatching a shot past goalkeeper Wessel Speel to extend the lead to 3-0.
Following the break, coach Oliver Glasner took the chance to withdraw several players like Kamada and Wharton. Substitute Romain Esse came close to scoring with his first touch, but saw his effort blocked.
Esse was desperately unlucky later on, seeing one shot strike off both posts before being gathered on the line. Uche also missed a sitter of a chance, showing there is still scope for development in his game.
The only concern for Palace was a second-half knock to Justin Devenny, who was forced off. This allowed 17-year-old striker Benji Casey to earn his senior debut, rounding off an otherwise perfect night for the traveling side.
