WATCH: Uche nets stunning goal to put Crystal Palace ahead in Conference League
Christantus Uche netted a remarkable individual goal, granting a restructured Crystal Palace squad an early lead during their Conference League match against Finnish club KuPS at Selhurst Park.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner implemented 11 adjustments to the lineup that faced Manchester City the previous weekend, and the new faces made an immediate impact.
Within the first five minutes, Uche gathered the ball at the edge of the box following a tidy passing sequence out wide.
The Nigerian maneuvered inside on his left foot to create a shooting chance before curving an exquisite shot into the far corner with the outside of his right foot.
After that, it was predominantly one-sided. The hosts, providing a number of young academy players their first-team debuts, dominated the first half and had a variety of opportunities to extend their lead.
However, Uche’s strike at the break stood out as the decisive moment on the last night of Conference League group-stage play, with Glasner’s squad aiming for a top-eight position and direct qualification for the subsequent stage of the tournament.
Crystal Palace team news
Palace is missing Daichi Kamada due to the hamstring injury sustained against City.
Daniel Munoz (knee) continues to be sidelined, along with Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad (both knee), Rio Cardines (groin), and Caleb Kporha (back).
Glasner has made 11 alterations to the starting lineup from the City match.
Centre-back George King, wing-back Dean Benamar, and winger Joel Drakes-Thomas are all making their senior debuts.
Walter Benitez takes the place of Dean Henderson in goal, and Jefferson Lerma leads Palace as captain for the first time.
Crystal Palace: Benitez, Canvot, Lerma, King, Benamar, Rodney, Devenny, Sosa, Drake-Thomas, Esse, Uche.
Substitutes: Henderson (GK), Matthews (GK), Guéhi, Richards, Lacroix, Mitchell, Hughes, Wharton, Pino, Casey, Nketiah, Mateta.
KuPS team news
KuPS: Kreidl, Hamalainen, Cisse, Miettinen, Antwi, Ruoppi, Arifi, Oksanen, Savolainen, Parzyszek, Pennanen.
Substitutes: Armah, Golubickas, Hakala, Konate, Lotjonen, Luyeye-Lutumba, Pitkanen, Ricardo, Sadiku, Toure, Voutilainen.
How to watch Crystal Palace v KuPS
Crystal Palace v KuPS will commence at 8pm UK time. The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1.
It will also be available for streaming on Discovery Plus. Sky customers holding a TNT package can stream the match via Sky Go.
Published: 2025-12-18 20:51:00
source: www.101greatgoals.com
