Crystal Palace faces Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final with an ironic prize: a Europa League place for 2026-27. The season began with Palace appealing in court against demotion from the Europa League and ends with a chance to win a first-ever European trophy in the competition it did not initially want to play. The match is also Oliver Glasner’s last at Palace before he leaves at season’s end, and Will Hughes wants a proper send-off with the trophy. Rayo reached the final amid a fan boycott and a feud between supporters and the club president, including protests and a temporary stadium move. The final brings European spotlight to two clubs often overshadowed by bigger neighbours.
"There's an ironic prize on offer if Crystal Palace can beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final tonight: A spot in the competition Palace originally should have been playing in anyway. A season which began with Palace in court appealing in vain against demotion from the Europa League ends with a chance to win its first-ever European trophy in the competition it didn't want to play in. The winner gets a Europa League place for 2026-27."
"It's the last game at Palace for Oliver Glasner, the club's most successful coach, before he leaves at the end of the season. Midfielder Will Hughes has called on the English team to give Glasner "a proper send-off" with the trophy. Spain's Rayo scrapped its way to the final despite having a season marred by a fan boycott and a simmering feud between the supporters and the club president."
"Pirate imagery and left-wing politics make Rayo stand out, while fans even boycotted a game - which turned out to be a stunning 3-0 upset of Atletico - in protest at the club president, while the team briefly moved out of its stadium because the field was unfit for play. The FA Cup win last season which qualified Palace for European competition was the first-ever major trophy for the team from an unfashionable corner of south London."
"Under Glasner, Palace have made a habit of outperforming bigger London rivals with a fraction of the budget, even if it often means saying goodbye to key players when a better offer comes along. Palace and Rayo are usually in the shadow of more successful neighbours. Tonight, they get the European spotlight to themselves. Leipzig's Red Bull Arena is an unlikely corporate setting for two vibrant fan bases."
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]