Crystal Palace all but booked their spot in the knockout phase of the Conference League with a 3-0 win over Shelbourne.
Victory in Ireland means Palace remain in the frame to finish in the top eight and automatically reach the Round of 16, avoiding a play-off match in February. However, Oliver Glasner’s side would need to beat Finnish side KuPS on the final matchday next Thursday and hope other results go their way.
Christantus Uche netted his first Palace goal, feasting off a tidy bit of link-up play between Daichi Kamada and Eddie Nketiah to finish first time with his right foot in the tenth minute.The Eagles waited just 15 minutes to double their lead, with Uche hitting the post. The rebound fell to Nketiah, who tapped into an empty net.
Yeremy Pino made it three before the break, topping off a wonderful solo move as he drilled into the bottom corner. Palace did the job in the first half and were able to cruise after the break, comfortably seeing out their three-goal win.
Here are Bobby Manzi’s talking points from the Tallaght Stadium.
Palace Demonstrate Rare Ruthlessness
For all of Palace’s class this season, they have lacked killer instinct in front of goal. There have been countless occasions – defeats against Everton and Strasbourg come to mind – where Palace’s absence of a clinical edge has proved costly.
The theme of the season has been totting up Palace’s missed first-half chances and watching it come back to bite them after the break. However, their trip to Ireland marked a swing in their fortunes.
Glasner’s rotated side wrapped the tie up before the break, bagging three times from 2.83xG. Yeremy Pino, Eddie Nketiah and the elusive Christantus Uche led Palace’s atypical attack and impressed, as they should, considering the class of the opposition.
All three scored. Pino, despite playing just 45 minutes, was the conductor of the orchestra. Producing chances with his crosses into the box and silky link-up play with the two centre-midfielders. His goal was a moment of pure class as he received the ball in midfield and exhibited his alluring quality, carrying the ball into the penalty area before drilling into the bottom corner with his right foot.
The 23-year-old has already produced plenty of impressive moments in a Palace shirt, particularly with his dribbling and link-up play, but has left those of a Palace persuasion wanting more in front of goal. His finish against Shelbourne – his third of the season – was a reminder of his natural quality.
If he can start finding the net more consistently, he could fill the crucial piece of the puzzle in Palace’s season. Palace’s back-up striker Nketiah scored his fourth goal in 428 minutes of football – a real poacher’s finish as he latched onto Uche’s strike, which rattled the post, and tapped into an empty net from a virtually unmissable position.
Palace needed proof they could take their chances – they finally got it.
Uche Takes the First Step to Proving Himself
An individual who needed to take their chance was Uche. The Nigerian international has been out of favour since joining Palace from Getafe on loan on Deadline Day.
Injuries in attack opened the door for Uche over the past week. It has been an opportunity he has relished, making a positive impact as a substitute in the final 25 minutes of Palace’s late win at Fulham, before starting and scoring against Shelbourne.
Glasner demands that his players contribute to the collective, proving to the group that they can help win games of football. Uche demonstrated that.
Any time the ball fell to him in and around the penalty area, he tried to get a shot away – even when the likelihood of scoring was minimal. Uche had his moment, scoring his first Palace goal with an instinctive first-time strike inside the area with a nice finish to give Palace the lead.
He was determined and tenacious, leading the line confidently. There was almost a perfect moment when Uche unselfishly shifted the ball to Romain Esse, but his shot rattled both posts and bounced out to deny the out-of-favour duo a confidence-boosting combination.
He required more composure when Justin Devenny and Romain Esse combined on the left to slot him through. He did the hard bit and chopped onto his right to beat the defender, but fired over the bar from close range when a shot on target would have added Palace’s fourth.
For someone limited for minutes, he isn’t limited for front, revving the crowd three times at full time.
Benji Casey Makes Palace Bow
Benji Casey earned his Crystal Palace debut, coming on with 10 minutes to play and replacing the injured Justin Devenny. The 17-year-old centre-forward, who has scored 15 goals in 21 appearances for Palace’s youth team, slotted in between Christantus Uche and Romain Esse.
He was clever when using his body, drawing a foul on the break. He also showed defensive acumen, clearing a corner at the back post. Casey became the second academy prospect to earn his professional debut in the Conference League, following Rio Cardines – who came on away at Dynamo Kyiv.
Glasner explained it was the right moment to give Casey the nod as a reward for his consistency with Palace’s academy sides, having capably stepped up to the Under-21s after signing his first professional contract in October.
“I like that Benji Casey is so active. He’s got good pace and scores a lot of goals. We wanted to reward him and that’s why he got a few minutes.”
Kylian Mbappe is lighting up the 2026 World Cup as he looks to fire France to their second success in world football’s biggest competition since 2018.
The Real Madrid forward is firmly in the Golden Boot race against the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior, having found the net four times in the group stages. Mbappe was crucial to his nation lifting the trophy in 2018, bursting onto the scene as a teenager.
He then had an incredible tournament four years later in Qatar. Despite his side having to settle for second place, the 27-year-old fired in a hat-trick in the final, something only Sir Geoff Hurst has previously managed.
Kylian Mbappe Wearing Different Shirt to France Teammates
Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
That treble in the final against Argentina helped Mbappe to the Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup. The versatile forward netted eight times in total, and was undeserving of being on the losing side.
He tends to step up on the big stage when his country needs him. Some eagle-eyed fans may have spotted a difference in the shirt Mbappe is wearing this summer compared to the rest of Didier Deschamps’ men.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are all expected to finish among the top goalscorers in this summer’s tournament.
The reason for that is his Golden Boot victory in 2022. Any active player who has won the individual award at the World Cup is allowed to wear a special patch on the sleeve of their shirt.
England’s Harry Kane and Colombia’s James Rodriguez are the only other players at the tournament this summer allowed to wear the patch, after winning the 2018 and 2014 Golden Boots, respectively.
The award has never been won back-to-back in the competition’s history. But with France being among the strong favourites and expected to go far, there’s every chance their talisman can scoop the honour once again. After all, he’s only four goals away from being the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.
Mbappe: Lionel Messi Still the Best
Reuters/Maria Lysaker
While Mbappe is hunting his old Paris Saint-Germain teammate Lionel Messi down in the current Golden Boot race and the all-time scoring charts, he still concedes he has a lot to do to overtake the Argentine.
It was no surprise to Les Bleus’ number nine that Messi has continued to deliver on the big stage. He said (per ESPN): “I already knew Messi was going to keep scoring goals. He always does. He’s ahead of me and I’m behind him. I’ll keep scoring to help my national team go as far as possible.”
Following the greatest footballer of all time smashed a hat-trick against Algeria, Mbappe declared him still the best in the world. He claimed:
“It’s clear that Messi is the best in the world, and so is Cristiano [Ronaldo]. For 16 years, he [Messi] has shown his extraordinary talent. I’m just trying to do what I know how to do: show my talent on the biggest stage possible and help my national team.”
Newcastle United have lined up a deal to sign a midfielder this summer, as the Magpies face the possibility of losing some key players in the coming weeks.
A deal for the former seems the most likely, meaning Newcastle are on the market for replacements, and one target is now seemingly in the club’s sights.
Newcastle Add Felix Nmecha To Shortlist
According to a report from journalist Craig Hope, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha is on Newcastle’s shortlist as a transfer target for this summer.
The Magpies are described as “long-term admirers” of the 25-year-old, who has impressed in the Bundesliga as well as in the World Cup with Germany in recent weeks.
Nmecha has a release clause in his deal worth £73.5 million, though that doesn’t come into effect until next summer. That said, the report claims that there is hope a move can be negotiated for lower than that price.
There is likely to be some competition for Nmecha’s signature, as Manchester United have been linked with a transfer, along with fellow Premier League rivals Liverpool.
It remains to be seen whether Newcastle can get an agreement with both Dortmund and the Germany international over a potential transfer in the coming weeks as a result.
Newcastle are facing a tough summer transfer window, with Anthony Gordon’s exit set to be just the first of a few key moves away from the club.
Given the struggles in the Premier League last season, the Magpies will be keen to not be in a weaker position next campaign when it comes to the options available.
However, it may be the sales that help ensure that is the case. Selling some important players in favour of huge transfer fees could allow it to be reinvested in a way that will add a better balance of quality across the whole squad.
Newcastle United are in the market for a striker, as one star looks set to leave the club this summer.
That, in theory, should allow the team to become stronger. But that will only happen if the right transfer replacements are found for the right price.
That was the theory in practice last summer, with Alexander Isak’s sale generating a club-record fee, but resulting in the wrong options being signed to take his place.
Newcastle cannot allow a repeat of that, especially in the midfield engine room, which has been among the key areas of strength under Howe.
Yan Diomande’s early coach Faissal Chehade explains why Liverpool could be the perfect fit, and why his ceiling may be Ballon d’Or level.
Chehade, who worked with Diomande at Leganés, reveals on Market Madness what stood out from the very beginning: the confidence, the one-v-one ability, the training-ground moments that made coaches take notice, and the mentality behind his rise from rejection across Europe to becoming one of the most talked-about young players in world football.
He also breaks down why Leipzig was the right step, why Liverpool could give Diomande the platform to become “the main man,” and why he believes the winger has the potential to reach the very top of the game.
Chapters:
0:09 — Yan Diomande’s First Coach Reveals the Talent
2:07 — The Training Goal That Made Everyone Stop
3:36 — Why Yan Diomande Was Rejected Across Europe
4:21 — Why Leipzig Was the Perfect Move for Diomande
4:55 — Why Liverpool Could Be Yan Diomande’s Perfect Fit
8:02 — Yan Diomande’s Ballon d’Or Ceiling Explained
