Check out our report and watch all the goals from the Conference League play-off second leg
Crystal Palace overcame a nervy evening in their Conference League second leg to beat Zrinjski Mostar 2-0, reaching the last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate victory.
After labouring to a 1-1 draw in Bosnia last week, Palace dominated the early exchanges in their hunt for the advantage in the tie, with Evann Guessand and Daichi Kamada going close.
They made the all-important breakthrough on 28 minutes when the exellent Adam Wharton’s free-kick from the left-hand side was put on a sixpence for Maxence Lacroix to turn home into the far corner to put the Eagles in command of the tie.
Zrjinski had offered very little up to that point but threatened to equalise just a few minutes later but Leo Mikic completely fluffed his lines at the crucial moment.
The hosts recovered from a nervy start to the first half and assumed much of the control again, although another goal to make the game comfortable proved elusive, with Chris Richards missing a gilt-edged chance to find it from Kamada’s free-kick from the left.
Guessand was then denied by a huge save as we approached the final 10 minutes, before Ismaila Sarr let another pass the Eagles by as he failed to turn in Tyrick Mitchell’s cross, before yet another Sarr effort was saved.
But it was Guessand who would finally finish off the tie in added time, netting his second goal in as many games as he slotted the ball into the far corner to cue huge relief inside Selhurst Park.
