Palace Power Past Shelbourne in a One-Sided Night in Dublin
So, this match between Shelbourne and Crystal Palace felt like one of those evenings where the tone was set almost immediately. From the very first whistle in Dublin, it was clear the Premier League side had arrived with intent, and that intent was carried out with absolute control. By the time the first half ended, the entire contest had essentially been wrapped up.
Crystal Palace were already under pressure in the Conference League standings, starting the day down in 18th place. So a strong response was needed, and that responsibility was taken seriously by Oliver Glasner, who sent out a powerful starting XI featuring names like Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Eddie Nketiah. It didn’t take long for that quality to show. After a bright opening spell, Christantus Uche finished off a smooth passing move, putting Palace ahead inside just 11 minutes. It was his first start for the club, and he made the most of it.
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Moments later, Palace felt they should have had a penalty when Nketiah went down in the box, but any frustration disappeared almost instantly. Nketiah popped up again to tap in the second after Uche’s effort bounced off the post. At that point, Shelbourne were hanging on, and Palace weren’t done. Chris Richards rattled the bar before Yeremy Pino produced a brilliant individual goal in the 37th minute, making it 3-0 and effectively closing the book on the match before halftime.
What followed in the second half was mostly about game management. Palace, well aware they’re in the middle of a brutal 15-game run in just seven weeks, used the comfortable scoreline to rotate heavily. Daichi Kamada, Wharton and Pino were all taken off at the break to protect legs for upcoming fixtures, and Nketiah was given a rest later on. There was even a senior debut for 17-year-old Benji Casey — a moment he won’t forget anytime soon.
Shelbourne kept battling, even creating a late chance through Daniel Kelly, but their shot was kept out by Walter BenÃtez. They’re still without a goal in the tournament and are heading for a quiet end to their European campaign. Palace, on the other hand, look like a team enjoying one of the strongest spells in their history — FA Cup winners, Community Shield winners, thriving in the Premier League, and now positioning themselves well in Europe despite being dropped into the Conference League due to multi-club ownership rules.
In the end, the biggest surprise of the night was that Palace didn’t score more. Three points, clean sheet, key players rested — a near-perfect evening for the Eagles.
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