Crystal Palace take another step towards historic European final - European Football

Crystal Palace qualified for the Conference League semi-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win despite losing 2-1 in the second leg at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday.

The progression ensured history continued to be written for the south London side in their maiden European campaign, with a two-legged semi-final against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk now awaiting them.

But it came at a price, with key players Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix both departing the game prematurely with injuries.

England midfielder Wharton went off after 30 minutes, clutching his right thigh after going down unchallenged. Meanwhile, defender Lacroix came off worse after clashing with teammate Daniel Munoz as the two attempted to clear a Fiorentina attack. The Frenchman left the pitch on the 40-minute mark after attempting to play on.

Manager Oliver Glasner later confirmed that Wharton’s injury was his adductor, which had cut short his England camp last month, while Lacroix’s could be the medial ligament in his knee. Both will be further assessed before Monday’s match against West Ham United.

Despite that news, Glasner will be happy with how his side managed the game after being pegged back to 1-1 in the 30th minute and going behind 2-1 just after half-time.

Ahead of the game, Glasner was quick to stress that the 3-0 advantage gained in SE25 last week in the first leg did not mean the tie was won and his side meant business early on.

Ismaila Sarr easily cut through the Fiorentina defence, and in a precursor to his goal in the 17th minute, he found Munoz in acres of space on the right – but the defender could only shoot across goal and wide.

Fiorentina’s Albert Gudmundsson was getting into little pockets of space, causing the visitors problems, but his side could not find the final ball.

The Italian side were punished soon after when a pinpoint ball from Kamada found defender Jaydee Canvot pushing forward. His pass into Sarr was then played out to Munoz, who then crossed it in for Sarr to head home – his seventh UEFA goal this season in 10 games.

But, just as Palace fans thought it would be an easy ride with a four-goal advantage on aggregate, Canvot gave away a penalty after taking out Rolando Mandragora during an attempted bicycle kick. Gudmundsson sent Henderson the wrong way, and the Italian side saw a glimmer of hope.

A few minutes later, it got worse for Palace with Wharton leaving the field in anguish.

By this point, the passion and urgency from Fiorentina was clear, with coach Paolo Vanoli livid with perceived time-wasting by Chris Richards, relaxing only when the fourth official got involved.

Another setback came as Lacroix collided with Munoz. Initially, it looked like Munoz came off worse, but after treatment, Lacroix continued, before being replaced by Chadi Riad for just his second UEFA Conference League appearance seven minutes later.

Glasner made another substitute at the break, with Jorgen Strand Larsen replacing Jean-Philippe Mateta, and with an unorthodox back three of Riad, Richards and Canvot, the two sections of travelling support were waiting for the Fiorentina onslaught.

Just after Daichi Kamada forced a smart save from former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, substitute Cher Ndou shot from range, squeezing the ball through a wall of bodies and past Dean Henderson to make it 2-1 on the night. It came from nothing.

With the home crowd pushing their team all the way, Henderson saved smartly from Gudmundsson, but the onslaught did not produce many clear chances.

There were some nerves in the away end, which set off pyro at kick-off and continuously waved gigantic red and blue flags throughout – but Glasner’s side managed to settle them, reducing Fiorentina’s threat and taking another step towards May’s final in Leipzig.